


Expensive Mistakes

by Epsilon_Church



Series: Guns for Hire [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Background Grimmons, Background Relationships, CW for a sexually creepy character, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Major Character Injury, Mild Sexual Content, Mind the Tags, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Romance, Stargazing, background ocs because fuck did the director have no friends, background washnut, cant have ptsd if you never acknowledge the t or s, first few chapters are quick and dialogue heavy but i got good kush comin, love me some future tech, me big lina stan, past torture mention, psychogenic voice disorder is such a niche tag but, set in same time period as canon but diff setting and lore, the loosest possible take on the guns for hire au from 2014
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 31,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23097991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epsilon_Church/pseuds/Epsilon_Church
Summary: York hasn't always seen eye to eye with the law. It comes with the job. He's a mercenary, not a damn public servant.It's no secret that he's more of a duck and cover kind of person, where Maine might take the hard hitting up in your face kind of job he's more the type to break some locks, kick open some doors, flirt with some people and maybe even empty out a cash register or two if he thinks of it.So, when Delta wakes him in the middle of the night and tells him about some kind of specific request from a high up military supplier, the last thing he wants to do is stroll on in, flash his imperfect smile and tell them how much he'd love to work with them.Until he sees her.
Relationships: Agent Carolina/Agent York (Red vs. Blue), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Guns for Hire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660156
Comments: 31
Kudos: 17





	1. How I Met Your Mother

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked the old guns for hire AU but its 2020 and if you want some new content you gotta make it your damn self I guess.  
> kinda short first chapter but you get the point. this shit gonna be long. i love me some slow burn. as always mind the tags lol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> past mentions of eye injury

Delta wasn't really supposed to wake him up this early for any reason.

Nothing short of an on fire oven or a shoot out outside was supposed to interrupt Yorks’ beauty sleep. He wasn't much of a looker anymore - something his last big job has ensured - but he still valued looking well rested and well maintained. He wasn't a damn neanderthal after all.

_“Agent York, please answer your comm.”_

No.

_“Agent York.”_

Delta started once more. _Try all you want, D, I am not getting up until the sun does_ , York thought to himself.

If he could use his brain to shoot Delta he damn well would. Delta would never see the light of day again! With a huff and a lazy facial slapping montage York finally managed to mute his comm frequency.

Finally, some peace and-

_“AGENT YORK!”_

Delta practically exploded his ear piece, causing a chain reaction that began with York jumping out of bed and ended with him pulling his foot out of the trash can beside his bed. York would like to imply he was a graceful and elegant man before he caught a bullet in the face but he would be lying.

York was roughly two hundred pounds of _whoops-did-I-do-that?_

“WHAT?”

He barked back at Delta, finally opening up his comm link.

_“Yo-”_

Delta was probably going to say something insightful like hey _York, sorry to bother you but in about 2.8 seconds your door is going to be kicked in by a bunch of heavily armed people with guns and body armour and a man with a beard that doesn’t suit his face is going to tell you to get up_ but he didn’t really get the chance.

“Hello, Agent New York.”

York looked at his apartment door at the floor, barely even registering that it was no longer attached to the hinges before being roughly pulled up to his feet by two of the armoured shadow trooper look alikes to look down at the man who really would have had a better chance at looking imposing of he had made them hold York down. He was short and stocky, barely even worth shaking a stick at in the grand scheme of things, if it wasn’t for the distinctly white hair and beard he would probably be easy to lose in a crowd.

“I apologize for the rude interruption but you are a frustratingly difficult man to track down.”

That was on purpose, of course.

After what happened to Washington… well... let’s just say York didn’t trust easily anymore.

“You could have knocked.”

York wasn’t always a bitch when he was woken up by kicked open doors and armed men. Just when he wasn’t in on the joke.

 _“They did.”_ Deltas voice buzzed in his ear piece. “ _As I was attempting to tell you before you muted me. Which might I add was frustrating to work arou-”_

“Shush, I’m negotiating here, De.”

“We haven’t even offered you anything yet, Agent New York.”

“York.” He wasn’t sure why Agent New York bothered him. Maybe it was a sickly reminder of the life he used to live. Or maybe it was just clunky to say with an accent only an upper class penthouse baby could have. “Very well, York, as you seem to have already gathered, we mean you… no harm.”

“Then maybe we could start with letting me down? I’m not the type who’s too into being held too tight.”

With a swift motion of the hand, the man had him released him from dual vice grips onto the soft and comforting hardwood floor. York grunted with pain, trying not to let out how much that hurt. He didn’t like guys like this knowing his pain tolerance wasn’t what it used to be. The man crouched down in front of him, putting his obscenely thin and alien like hands on his thighs as he talked.

“It is my clients understanding that you may be in the business of… shall we say... hired help.”

York nodded, still rubbing at his sore jaw and bruised pride.

“Well, luckily for you, my client is willing to overlook some unfortunate connotations of said line of work in exchange for your special skills."

York didn't like the way he said special skills. York had a lot of special skills. He could suck dick pretty well, complain someone's ear off, come up with insults on the fly… And pick locks and kill people.

"I would refrain from saying whatever snide comment you have brewing, York." Delta warned.

There would have been a time where he'd ignore that warning. Not today. He was half blind, sore and barely awake, not to mention unarmed. He could handle not bitching about things for a few seconds.

"Agent York?"

The man lightly slapped Yorks’ cheek.

"Are you with us?"

"Yeah. I'm just waiting for some more information."

"My client believes you may… be useful as a personal protection detail for his daughter."

"Protection detail??"

York probably came off as incredulous as he felt. That was a NEW one!

"I don't make the decisions, I just collect on them."

York shrugged.

He got the feeling there was no saying no.

"When would I start? Whats the pay li-"

"That's an affirmation if I ever heard one."

"Wait I was just-"

York was pretty sure he felt someone hit him in the back of the head but he was certain that he heard Delta remind him not to agree too fast to anything men with guns offer before he blacked out.

**_\-------------------------_ **

"He doesn't seem that impressive."

He was pretty sure that most people with southern accents didn't also sound like they just got done slumming it up in California. What kind of accent was that?

"Your father requested him specifically, young master."

"You gotta stop calling me that, its Church. Got it? Ch-ur-ch."

"Your father is Master Church."

"Listen here you-"

_Okay, they were officially bickering._

York didn't want bickering kidnappers.

He groaned, hoping to drive their attention back to them before he officially opened his eyes - er… eye.

"He's awake."

The man with the beard stated a little too matter of factly for York's taste.

York blinked open his good eye, taking in his surroundings. Somehow he seemed to have found his way into a hover limousine… and a new suit he was pretty sure he didn't own. All of York's suits were loose in the crotch, he liked giving himself room, this one was tight. _Too tight._

York shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the seat of his pants.

"Did you dress me?"

"Is that a problem?"

The man asked, barely even looking up from his screen. He was sitting across from York, barely containing a messy looking young man with a hand to his face as he scrolled through something or rather.

"Uh-"

Was York wearing underwear when they busted in? He really hoped so.

"He does that."

The young man turned to York, pulling back from the bearded man.

"I'm all for some limousine fun but this isn't exactly how I envisioned the beginnings of a business dealing."

"This is where you draw the line, York?"

York swatted at his ear piece, somehow acting like that would shut up Delta.

"All your questions will be answered in due time. It was only pertinent to change your attire to meet him."

Church made a face, looking down at his own mustled hoodie and jeans.

York was pretty sure he was wearing different pairs of converse.

 _Been there_ , York thought to himself.

"We'll be arriving shortly."

The bearded man reached into his pocket, removing some sort of piece of fabric from it and handing it to York in one fluid motion.

York took the fabric from him, pausing only when he realized what it was. An eye patch. York shoved down a wave of sickness crawling up his throat. There was no real smart way to start shit here. This wasn't the time.

It took some doing and the rest of the car ride to get it perfectly - no one warned York how annoying gelled hair was with eye patches - but when he did he was invited out into the docking bay with Church and the bearded man.

What kinda asshole has a docking bay for a hover limo?

"Right this way."

The bearded man held out his hand to York.

York didn't take it.

Something was more than a little weird about this guy.

"Good call."

Church whispered to him before walking up the stairs ahead of the both of them.

"Church!"

A shrill effeminate voice calling for him. York wanted to stop and see who was calling for him from the kitchen but beardo the white didn't slow down as he walked through the mansions halls. It was a mansion, not just a pretentiously placed castle outside the city limits like York had assumed from the outside.

Castles are beautiful and historical - mansions are flexes.

Some rich elitist must have outfitted every floor of the place with every sort of luxury, even the heavy wooden doors in front of them were outfitted with bronze knockers.

_Assholes._

The bearded man knocked once. Twice. Three times.

"You may enter."

Came the thickly accented voice of aforementioned rich elitist asshole.

The bearded man opened the door just wide enough for York to slip in.

There was a long wooden table with seats on either sides, glass walls and at the very end of the room, the truest and most beautiful masterpiece of the whole damn mansion: her. Sure, he should have been looking at the man sitting across from him with the scowl and well maintained beard but he didn't care. His gaze was all for her. She was stunning. Not just stunning - no stunning would never be comparable to her - she was angelic. She was _perfectly_ toned, her whole body was lean, mean and sexy. She was TALL, towering over the man like some kind of heavenly onlooker observing Earth spinning on in it's fruitless quest for purity. Delta didn't need to be wired into his systems to guess that his heart rate has increased.

"Hello, Agent New York."

The man began, opening a dialogue York wasn't really aware enough to continue.

"My name is Leonard Church Senior. I understand you to be the mercenary I was told so much about.”

He gestured to the woman - the shining angel - beside his chair.

She visibly didn't want to be here, her arms crossed over her - incredibly nicely shaped - chest. **_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._**

"This is my daughter, Carolina."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and then york trying to shut up someone who wasnt there became a running gag
> 
> make sure to leave a comment and tell me whatcha liked uwu comments and kudos give me life


	2. TFW When Your Dad Sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter one, trust me ze BEEF is coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> implied daddy issues, past trauma

“Carolina.” The name felt like caramel on his tongue. It was a name sent from the heavens, from capital G God herself. This was PEAK naming. He could totally see why they named two whole states after her, if he was born as gorgeous and as angelic as her he'd expect at least one road sign honouring him. She didn’t even need to look at him - and she wasn't, she was too busy glaring daggers into the back of her father's head - her curse had already been cast.

This hot red-headed spitfire had already cursed his dick.

“It is my understanding that you were not given… a _proper_ introduction or chance to familiarize yourself with exactly what it is that I am offering.”

York nodded, pulling out the chair across from the man. He had to at least humour whatever it was that was happening until Delta found out exactly where he was. As skilled as he was, even Deltas tracking abilities had limits. 

"I apologize for the abruptness of our meeting. You see, I am a very… connected man and it would not look good for my associates to be dawdling around a seedy apartment complex.” York wouldn’t call it seedy. It was seedy but it was also the right kind of seedy; no UNSC monitoring stations, hardly any police drive throughs and minimal stray animals having sex outside the windows.

“Right, so you opted to have me kidnapped?”

Carolina shot her father a look that made York wither from afar. Hot and scary. Unlike York, her father didn’t seem to be phased by the fire burning in her emerald eyes, York almost wondered if that was because he was jaded or if he simply didn’t care anymore.

“It wasn’t an ideal arrangement.”

“I’ll say.”

York huffed, he almost considered kicking his feet up onto the table.

“But, the fact is; I have… a need for your services.”

_“How would someone like this guy hear about you?”_

Delta questioned, finally speaking up after a long keyboard click filled silence. York really hoped he was trying to triangulate his position, not check if he could prepay for a coffin.

“Really?”

“Are you a father?”

Leonard cocked his head slightly.

York figured he looked different after his face got mangled but the idea that he looked old enough to be somebody's father was a blow to the gut. “

I’m 29.”

“As was I. But that doesn’t matter, I was asking because if you were, you would be saving me a particularly long explanation as to my motives.”

Carolina looked like she might just storm out of the room. Her gaze was narrow and unreadable.

“To make things quick, my children are set to go on their first business venture out of the country without me and I want you to accompany them."

York crossed his arms, trying to vibe with the rooms energy. He could hack this.

"You want me to go to a different country with your kids? To keep them safe?"

"Actually, I was hoping for another member of your guild but he has since… disappeared."

_"Agent Washington."_

Delta concluded in York's earpiece.

"Guess that means I'm your second choice."

"Third, actually, agent Texas was my first."

"Hmpf. No one's seen her in some time."

York cocked his head to the side.

"Why me? Aren't there more...conventional guardsmen on the market?"

Leonard didn't say anything. He didn't need to. People only hire mercenaries if they're looking for someone willing to go farther than extreme.

"Right. Fine. Say I accept - which I'm not saying I am, despite my kidnapping I still hold my right to refuse as closely as my second amendment rights - say I accept, what would I be paid?"

_"You're just outside of the Capital of New Texas, about 400 kliks south of where we started. I'm pulling up the data schematics for the house right now."_

Delta chirped in his ear.

York coughed, hoping to cover the sound of Delta sending his coordinates and fastest escape routes to his wrist projector. He wasn't sure why they let him keep it but they hadn't removed it.

"You would be compensated handsomely. My children are the most important things in my life, there isn't a price too high."

Carolina snorted quickly before turning it into a cough.

"Once you return with my children safely I can pay you whatever sum you see fit based on your usual rating scale and whatever degree of difficulty you encountered. However, in the meantime, I am willing to offer you a down payment of seven hundred thousand credits."

Delta choked on whatever lactose free decaffeinated drink he was drinking on the other end of the line. While York tried to hide his own shock and instinctive enthusiasm he barely managed to smother a gasp with a poorly executed fake sneeze.

"And of course… first class accommodations upon your arrival in Toronto and an unlimited credit card in my companies name."

_"HolY Sh-"_

Delta audibly clapped a hand over his mouth.

York, however, couldn't help himself.

"And what company name would that be?"

"You understand why I might be hesitant to share that information."

_"Leonard Church senior... Leonard Church senior..."_

Delta once more resumed his keyboard clicking.

"Of course, of course."

York nodded.

"When would we be leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"You guys really don't give much warning, huh?"

"You were not the first I approached, Agent New York."

"York."

It did bother him. It really did. 

"York."

Leonard corrected himself.

"Can I assume you're interested?"

York looked at Carolina, examining her harsh expression. She probably wanted him to tell Leonard he was crazy overprotective. She clearly wanted him to come to his senses and turn around, making sure they never saw each other again.

"You could say that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as anyone whos even a little familiar with the GFH from churchbooseanon and synnesai can tell this isn't anything like their OG idea but i just think mercenaries are neat and their AU really inspired me. they said it was an open AU wayy back and that people were open to contribute so i felt it was okay to work with as long as i made sure to credit them as ze OGs way back in the day


	3. North Deserved Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw;  
> mentions of eye trauma, torture, gore, bodily horror, blood and all that icky stuff also alcohol abuse on churchs part
> 
> also this chapter has some songs i think go with it so if you want my work mind set listen to again by crusher-p, everybody gets high by missio and everything i wanted by billie ellish

Carolina was probably the _**least** _enthusiastic tour guide in the universe.

She had been told - ordered - by her father to show York around and to take him to settle down into any room he asked for. Supposedly he could have asked Leonard to have people retrieve his stuff from his - undoubtedly messy and still doorless - apartment but York didn't really feel like encouraging Leonards guys to go back to his apartment. It had already been a real bitch to convince his neighbor to put his door back on and even then he was pretty sure he still owed the guy a blowjob.

"The guest bedrooms are up the stairs."

Carolina walked in front of him, her hand trailing on the ornate railing. York told himself he wasn't looking at her ass but, if he was being honest, he was. It was hard not to notice, someone had made her dress like a princess in a royalty drama and it was only human to look. Her dress was simple; a light cyan cocktail fit with a split tail snaking down from where the dress ended at her waist down her - very toned - legs to her heels. Her shoes were nothing to shake a stick at either, they glittered like studded red velvet stars and York couldn't help but wonder if Dorothy herself might come to snatch them off of her.

"You can take whatever room you want. We have too many anyway…"

She sounded… mad. She wasn't proud of her family name or the place it earned her. York wondered, almost nervously, what could be hidden under all the riches and fine leather furniture. Was there some kind of dark forbidden secret? No. He swatted that thought away. He couldn't worry about that now! Carolina would see something was wrong and getting caught wondering was exactly what got Wash… He didn't want to finish the thought.

"I'll just take…"

York looked frantically to the first bedroom door he saw along the halls.

"This'll do!"

Carolina nodded before crossing her arms again. She paused, almost gracing York with another blessed word from her angelic and perfect lips. Almost. She nodded at him, opened the door for him to slip through and disappeared into the darkened halls. She was likely to be stripping off the clothes she so clearly detested as soon as she was certain he was out of range. 

_"You aren't alone in this room."_

Delta, always monitoring heat signatures from Yorks bracelet caster, was right. There, on the floor beside the bed was the young man from the limousine. It looked as though he had given up getting on the bed and just decided it wasn't worth bothering.

"Hey - uh… This room taken?"

York asked cautiously, rounding around the bed to look at him - _Church,_ his name was Church.

"Go away."

Church groaned. York had seen enough drunk people to know what too much stolen wine from the cabinet looked like, honestly, he was just kinda impressed the guy managed to get laying-on-the-floor-groaning drunk in the time since he saw him last. It had only been about two hours since York was given the files on the Church siblings schedules and sat down to read them. It really took some dedication.

"No can do."

York crouched down beside him.

"How much you had?"

Church groaned in response. York assessed Church, checking him over as thoroughly as his many years of getting shit faced in college told him to. It was only fair he didn't let the guy choke on his own vomit or drown himself in his own piss, he was a guest after all. York gave Church a shove.

 _ **Fuck!**_ He was hefty! Not just a little pudgy or anything,

Church was HEAVY. He hid it well but Church was nothing to underestimate. It wasn't that Church was fat - he might have been but York didn't judge - it was more than he was sturdy. He weighed at least fifty pounds more than York and York wasn't exactly a twig fresh off the branch.

Okay, Church was a little fat.

Still, he was on his back and that was no good. York had to put his back into it when he gave Church another solid shove. Even with maximum effort it took a few tries to get the man on his side and positioned well.

_"What now?"_

Delta brought up a fair point. He couldn't carry Church and even if he could he didn't know where his bedroom was. This place was a maze he didn't really want to be caught wandering around. The creepy bearded man would probably cut him up into little cubes and sell him as York doggie treats. Leave him and make sure he knows York didn't drug him or something when he woke up it was. Church grunted what could have been thanks or a creative curse word before dozing off on the provided best pillow in the room.

"... Should have given him the shitty pillows…"

York finally decided, examining how Church breathed. He had a slight case of apnea, his breathing hitching every now and then, but nothing too serious. York figured everyone's body went a little shit when they got over twelve.

Really, York started dying the second math stopped being one cookie plus one cookie equals lunch time in two seconds. York was no good at math.

_"He's asleep."_

"Thanks D."

York yawned, shuffling his weight around on his feet before stripping off the suit jacket and pants. He wasn't going to risk bare assing the night but he didn't want to totally ruin the only clothes he currently had with him.

"Can you run a search on this place? See what you can find out about Leonard Church senior and those armour dudes from my apartment?"

_"Already doing it but I'm coming up with a fat load of shit all."_

"Keep trying, D, this place is already goddamn weird enough without knowing anything."

_"You just want me to look into Carolina."_

York audibly guffawed.

"What?? No! She's just the job! Her and this nerd on the floor-"

As if to politely remind York he was there, Church sleep farted.

"Nice."

York grumbled dryly before crinkling up his nose and accepting it. Nothing to be done.

_"And your pulse quickened when she showed up on your optic camera."_

York took out his ear piece, placing Delta on the bedside table. He didn't usually do that but even without it Delta could still keep enough of an eye on him that he figured he'd be alright.

"Mrumpf… Ally…"

Church murmured beside the bed. York raised his brow, leaning over to examine Church once more before placing the cursed eye patch protectively over Deltas comm link.

He had to make sure. It was easy to fall asleep when York finally did get down to cuddling himself up in the blankets.

It was the dreams that were the problems.

Dreams were always problems. Ever since… It happened. He could still hear Washington screaming. The way Wash kicked and screamed at their attackers, desperately trying to tear something off of them. No matter how far he ran, no matter how many messages he sent, no matter how many shots he downed or cigarettes he lit… He couldn't forget the way it felt... the way Washington's screams felt like nails in his ear drums, the way he was forced to stumble blindly to the sound of his friend's bones cracking. Yorks brain always showed it to him in sections. Tonight it showed him the hallway, made him linger on the blood stains. Look, that's from where he stumbled and fell, it told him, imagine how much it hurt. York didn't want to imagine how much it hurt.

He wanted to skip to the part where Texas showed up. He wanted to feel Washingtons' warm and soft hands on either side of his face. He wanted to feel his lips pressed against his friends forehead. His brain didn't care what he wanted. His brain only wanted to tell him about how painful it was when he slipped on unidentifiable blood. It wanted to remind him how the rough and chipped stone walls felt as he ripped his nails pulling himself back into a standing position. His brain didn't care that _he_ wanted to wake up without screaming, it only wanted to laugh at his pain as he limped along aimlessly in the hall.

His brain was an asshole.

"Dude!"

York swatted blindly, desperately trying to keep the bad thoughts at bay.

"Watch it!!"

Church…? What was Church doing here?

York blinked, clearing the pain and anguish of the past away.

"Jeez."

Church swatted York, clearly pissed about nothing - York had a feeling that was common.

"You try to do something nice and wake someone up on time and they hit you."

"Wh.. What time is it?"

"4:30 AM."

York huffed, sitting up in the bed.

"Yeah trust me. My dads a sadist."

"Four thirty…"

York huffed, slapping at the eye patch beside him.

"Yeah. Dads goons left you some good clothes on the desk. I'll wait for you outside."

With that, Church left York alone with his bad thoughts.

And Delta.

Who was not pleased to have been ignored.

_"I was worried about you, York."_

"Yeah, yeah."

York waved his hand dismissively as he examined the clothing options.

_"I couldn't find anything new on Leonard Church Senior but I did find some photos of Carolina, she looks to be a rather popular figure."_

"Hmpf,"

York picked up a pair of tan jeans, he wasn't even aware they made jeans that colour. Tacky with a capital Nice.

"Send it to my caster, I'll check it out later."

_"You want me to save it to your Private Folders?"_

York swatted at the comm again. He really didn't understand Delta was not physically here.

"Don't you start."

_"Fine, I have some digging to catch up on. Sleeping really is inconvenient."_

York shuffled through the clothing pile for a while before finally settling on the jeans, a gray shirt and a nondescript brown jacket with a fur jacket. He supposed he could just keep wearing the strapped boots they had outfitted him with when Beardy and the juice crew kidnapped him. After assembling the outfit from hell, York allowed himself a moment to examine himself in the full body mirror propped up to the nearby dresser.

Only a moment.

If he looked too long the bad thoughts would catch him and he'd be holding Norths hand outside a warehouse with one too many sharp eyed guards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh you thought this was just slow burn? bitch u thot i wouldnt hit you with that trauma bitch u thot
> 
> not to give spoilers but chapter title is accurate. north deserved better. ;)
> 
> also church takes more after epsilon church than the alpha in this. i just think epsilons neat, hes church but even more depressed - same
> 
> also i warn u i dont type good in chapter notes


	4. Can't have mommy issues if you don't have a mom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> mommy issues, past character death, poor hygiene

York wasn’t a fan of flying.

With all the things that went out of fashion as technology moved forward, York couldn’t help but wonder why flying didn’t bite it long ago. Teleports existed! Surely someone would have perfected not needing flying. North would have loved it. North wasn’t pretentious or particularly materialistic but York knew him well enough to know he would have no qualms about kicking his feet up in the luxuriously cushioned chairs of the overly decorated plane and having a margarita.

South would have hated it.

_South. South… ears ringing… blood in the snow… Washington… **North's hand going limp…**_

“Hey!”

There was Church again, he always seemed to be there when York felt himself spiraling. It was like some kind of sixth sense.

“That's my seat.”

York hadn’t realized he sat down. He quickly corrected his oversight by springing to his feet and over enthusiastically gesturing to the seat.

_“What was that?”_

York waved at the comm again. Really, Delta was not there physically. Delta was thousands of miles away locked in his little paranoia bunker with his bunny slippers, owl glasses and no doubtfully horrendous body odour. York hadn’t been the only one to take the Incident hard, ever since they found Washington Delta had become the world's worst recluse.

“What the fuck was that?”

Church, in an odd approximation of Delta's reaction, scoffed at York's behaviour.

“You’re fucking weird dude.”

The last bit sounded more like an aside to himself than a direct insult but York had to stop himself from bristling. It wasn’t the insult that made him bristle, it was the dismissiveness. It was so much like South. South was always on his mind.

“Be nice.”

Be still, my beating heart, York thought as he slowly turned to look at Carolina. Carolina was clearly under no pressure to delude others in this moment, her attire was fancy but not feminine or form fitting. Instead of yesterday's tightly fitted cocktail dress she now wore a blazer and a white blouse unbuttoned just enough that York could see her collarbone. York wasn't a prude, he'd had his fair share of hookups and flings, but seeing the forbidden arc of bone and dip of her ribcage made him feel like a swooning Victorian age maiden seeing her suitors forearm or ankle.

_"Your pulse quickened again."_

York didn't swat at the comm this time, he was too busy waving hello to Carolina - Carolina, what a gorgeous name - and examining the remaining seats in an attempt to sit near to hers. The plane made it all the way into the air before York made his move. He couldn't just willy nilly this shit, she was a perching dove in his backyard, not some common street whore pigeon. If he moved too fast or made any sudden movements she'd surely spread her angel white wings and take to the Heavens from whence she came. He sat down across from her.

_"Bold."_

Shut up, Delta. York muted Delta with a tap on the comm and a cough to hide his pings of protest at his wrist caster. All he needed to focus on was Lina.

Ohhhh he liked that nickname, _Lina_ , it slid off the tongue just like Carolina.

"Hello." Carolina looked up at him, her eyes curious and surprised. She clearly hadn't been expecting him to be so bold either. "Can I help you?"

 _Okay York turn on the charm._ "It's a long flight, I thought maybe you'd like some company to talk to."

That was too clunky a sentence, she'd see right through him. Carolina put down her tablet, letting its blue light fade into darkness, and smiled slightly. She was a woman used to small talk - _oh god take me now, Lina_ \- and building up to something. Must come with the line of work, York thought, whatever that is.

"I could talk." Her lips were perfectly kissable. They weren't especially plump or noticeable or anything but damn were they **_kissable._**

"I figured I'd have a better shot with you than Grumpy over there,"

York jabbed his thumb in Churchs direction. Church was snoring with his mouth open, letting a bit of drool escape from his - much less kissable - lips and slither through his unkempt beard. Carolina snorted.

"That's fair. More than fair actually."

York smiled. He was breaking the ice! Nice!

"Can I ask you something?"

Carolina turned to look at him, her eyebrow raised.

"Hmm?"

 _Okay big moment, York, first question of the relationship -_ not that they were in a relationship _\- make it count._

"Are you really a redhead?"

 _You blew it._ To York's surprise, she didn't seem to think that was a nice way of asking if the curtains match the carpet, instead she shook her head.

"Would you believe me if I said I was actually a brunette?"

York fake guffawed.

"No way. Really? I feel like everything I've deduced about you is wrong! I mean how can I even begin to work with you if I can't even trust your hair colour to not be dyed." York was careful not to say protect, he got the feeling that was going to be a little more than raw. He'd have to be fully blind to have not seen the daggers floating in the air between her and her father when he came downstairs in the morning.

Carolina didn't laugh - she didn't do that - but she did snort.

_Oh take me now Heaven I have lived a long enough life. If this is what Angels are I promise to be good from now on._

"Can I ask you something then?"

_Never mind she's gonna crucify me._

"Why'd you take this job?"

"Shit… right for the hard questions huh?"

Carolina nodded. York had to think fast. He had to make something up, something stupid and cheesy!

"My uh… friend. His name is- was North and… I want to rebury him somewhere nice. I need the money."

Okay. That wasn't what he meant to say. That was **too** real. York didn't even know he wanted to do that. Did he want to do that? Delta was hearing everything he said - even if he couldn't hear Delta - maybe he'd be able to tell York later if he meant it.

"Oh."

Carolina was silent for a while before leaning forwards slightly in her chair and smiling - not genuinely or widely - at York.

"That's a good reason."

York flashed her a quick forced smile and nodded.

"You're not too fond of me being here, huh?"

Carolina sighed. No denying it.

"My dad has **more** than enough private security. I can take care of myself."

"I bet you can."

York nodded.

"But on the other hand… I'm quite the conversationalist! You might even get to like me!"

_Please like me._

Carolina smirked before sighing.

"Alright. Talk to me."

Talking was easy, York could do talking.

"Well, Carolina, I think your brother over there has been wearing the same clothes from yesterday."

Carolina paused before looking at Church.

"... God Damn It."

Carolina stood up and marched over to Church, slapping his arm with the back of her hand. Church shot awake, wildly waving his hands around.

"Church! How long have you been wearing those clothes!"

Church paused before slowly lifting the hoodie sleeve to his face and giving it a whiff.

"Three days."

Carolina sputtered like a broken lawn sprinkler system.

"Church!!"

"What???"

Carolina hiked him up, pulling him to his feet and shoving him towards the plane bathroom.

"Go grab some spare clothes from the plane storage and take a shower!"

York was getting really tired of rich people planes. Plumbing in planes had been commonplace from the 20th century but any bitch who had a plane shower had too much money. Carolina, unknowingly leaving York to his own devices in her seat, continued picking at Church.

Normally York would never take advantage of the opportunity to snoop, he wasn't a snooper, but today was special. He leaned over, examining her tablet for a second before deciding he wasn't that snoopy today and instead looking back at Carolina. She was so beautiful. It wasn’t perverted to watch her walk away was it? He wasn't snooping when he snuck closer to hear her and Church bicker, he'd never snoop on a private family moment - learned that the hard way - he just wanted to hear her voice. She had such a beautiful voice. Her voice wasn’t soft or particularly effeminate but every single word that slipped past her perfectly _kissable_ lips was music to York's ears. No matter what tone or weight they carried, her words were _sweet delicious honey_ he wanted to savour and enjoy for the rest of his life.

God, he had only known her for a day and he was already **whipped.**

"And brush your teeth!"

"Jeez. Okay, mom."

That made them both stop cold.

Carolinas beautiful words stopped in their tracks, frozen by a shard of ice between the siblings that York had been too busy fawning to notice.

"... I- I didn't mean to bring that..."

"I know you didn't."

"I'm… I'm going to brush my teeth…"

"Okay."

York ducked back into his seat. He didn't want to think about how Carolina sounded there. He'd had his fair share of family issues - he was raised by an absentee mother living off her daddy's allowance and butler with mobility issues - and he knew that the last thing he'd ever wanted was some stranger butting into it with their thoughts and opinions. He put Deltas mic back on as Carolina padded over. He wasn’t worried about being alone with his angel, just worried Delta might bitch even more if he left him out any longer.

_“How am I supposed to keep you safe like this, York?”_

He didn’t answer. Delta didn’t really matter anyway. All that mattered was Carolina sitting across from him with another one of her practiced smiles.

“You get him clean yet or are you going to ask me if I know a good power washer stop on the way there?”

Carolina snorted again, throwing her head back slightly with the motion.

"Oh Church will be fine. I believe you however were promising me some good conversation.”

Oh. York was glad he wasn’t standing up because he’d have fainted.

“Well,”

York cleared his throat.

“Like any good conversationalist I need to know a little about my subject first. Ever hear of twenty questions?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> of course lina knows 20 questions york
> 
> u ever write something so fanfictiony so self indulgent that you can TASTE it? yeah that was how i felt writing that line. 
> 
> also wink wonk rip north stay tuned to hear how he died


	5. 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> panic attack mentions, once more past character death

York watched Carolinas brow furrow. He hadn't meant to hit her with such a hard hitting question only ten questions in. This was really a thinker. Maybe this was too severe of an ice breaker, this could really make or break their whole relationship basis. What was he thinking hitting her with a question like that? 

"Teal."

She finally decided. 

_ "Why did it take her so long?" _

York swatted at the comm again. Seriously, Delta was in Hawaii.

"Really? Teals your favorite colour?"

She nodded.

"I had to consider cyan pretty hard though."

"Oh shit. That is a dilemma."

" _ They're the same fucking color." _

Once more, York swatted at the comm.

"I don't know how you managed to narrow it down then, Lina. That's a pretty hard choice to make."

" _ Teal and cyan are the same fucking colour." _

"I know, it was really a toss up."

She…

**_She smiled._ **

_ Only for a second. _

But she smiled. She smiled. _For realsies._

York knew his face was flush, he couldn't hide it. She had smiled at him. 

" _ Your pulse did more than just quicken there." _

So York wasn't just imagining it, his heart **did** skip a beat.

He hoped that was ALL that was happening with his body. 

"Your turn."

Carolina purred, putting her hands on the table.

"Me? Well it's probably a toss up between yell-"

"Nuh-uh. I want to ask an original question."

_ Do whatever you want with me, baby. _

"Where are you from?"

Simple! He could answer that one.

"New York city! **Real** shocker I know!"

Carolina smirked.

"On the nose."

Carolina straightened up, scratching out her back.  _ Be still my beating heart _ . 

_ "Please don't get an erection twenty minutes before landing, Agent York." _

Once more with the swatting at the comm.

"I'm going to get some coffee, do you want anything?"

Carolina turned to look at him, a thin smile snaking across her beautiful freckled face.

"I'll have some coffee too I guess."

York shrugged, turning in his seat so his body was facing her. She was a sight to behold, even two hours of enthusiastic York based banter into a cramped flight she was still a masterpiece. _God **damn**_.

"How do you take it?"

"Just black is fine but if you have any sugar I'll take a packet of that to add myself."

She nodded. Her nod was sharp and professional, even now she didn't fuck around. Carolina didn't come here to play.

Church however, did apparently come to play, because the second Carolina walked away he had popped up, leaning over the back of Yorks once clean and Church free chair. 

"You're **_staring._** "

York jumped back a little.

"Wh- I'm not staring!"

He was staring. He was staring so hard that Church - a man who had lost his glasses in third grade and had since refused to replace them, instead opting to try his hand at developing echolocation - had noticed.

"Yeah. Bullshit."

York shuffled uncomfortably, turning to look at Church.

"What do you want?"

"She's not going to date you."

York paused.  _ Was Carolina not into guys? _

"She's too busy for that."

Oh.  _ Phew _ .

Church huffed, leaning his weight fully onto the back of the chair beside York.

"Move over."

It wasn't much of a warning for York to prepare himself for Church throwing himself over the back of the chair and onto the seat. The seat protested to the sudden change in weight with a shrill  _**cr-EaK-ity.** _

"Oh. Hello."

Church gave him a look. 

" _ Can he even see you?" _

That was a fair assessment, Church couldn't squint his eyes more if he tried. Delta normally had some pretty solid observations.

"She's not going to-"

"We didn't have any sweeteners left, _ **SOMEBODY** _keeps taking his greedy friends on joy rides and forgetting to refill the cabinets."

Carolina set down three mugs, she clearly figured Church was going to join them at some point. 

"You can keep the mug if you want. That's one thing we have a surplus of."

Carolina shot Church a look. It wasn't a death glare like she'd given to her father but she certainly didn't approve of his friend choices or how he chose to spend his time and money.

York examined the mug, barely suppressing a giggle when he spotted the tourist trappy _"I <3 New York"_ logo.

" _ Nice." _

Delta chirped.

"I haven't seen one of these things in years."

York purred. It was always fun to see these bad boys. He hadn't seen one of these since he last left home. They used to make Washington laugh.

"Hey! Don't give away my mugs!"

"You have 75 just like them."

"Well I **used** to have 76 of them!"

And so they went. Church and Carolina were bantering back and forth about nothing and everything. Just like actual siblings were supposed to.

Just like…

Like…  _ South and North _ .

York stood up, excusing himself to the bathroom as fast as he could.

" _ What are you doing?" _

York muted Delta, he couldn't deal with this right now. 

He just couldn't. He just needed some space. It was just a moment, everyone had bad moments. 

_It was fine it was fine it was fine._

"York?"

His sweet, sweet angel. There she was, outside his door just waiting for him to open up. Oh the heavens were speaking to him, God was telling him that she forgave him for all the robbery he had definitely not done and would deny in a court of law. God was here and her name was Carolina. God was a six foot five woman with red hair and a visible collar bone. God was real and she was outside saying his name,

Shame this was an airplane bathroom and he was trying not to have a panic attack.

"York are you alright?"

He squeaked, gently pushing the door open.

"Sorry, _sensitive stomach_."

Carolina looked at him skeptically - fuck even her eyebrow raising was hot - she looked concerned in a way that she didn't expect to be.

"Are you alright…?"

York nodded, he didn't want her to know.

"Well… We'll be landing soon and your coffee is getting cold."

And, as a final kiss from God, as she walked away, Carolina's hand brushed near Yorks.

It was an accident, she probably didn't even notice it but York floated all the way to his seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick filler one right before i gut punch you
> 
> i wanna establish yorkalina are both bisexual. church is pansexual anf the director wants a straight pride parade


	6. projection of feelings about canadian weather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> harsh weather, implied vague past physical trauma

York had never been to Canada, he had just never felt the need to. Canada wasn't involved heavily in UNSC, the western population was packed in densely huddled cities broken up by large plains of fuck and all and the north was always about one second away from turning to hot flaming garbage and an inch away from freezing. Also he was pretty sure his granddad was from Saskatchewan.

That wasn’t really a dig at Saskatchewan - although he was pretty sure they were used to it - more of just a reason to not go to Canada. York had a preconceived notion of what Canada would be like - everybody has their opinions on every country and every planet, it’s only natural - so when he stepped off of the plane and into the bright lights of the airport and felt the all too familiar breeze of social hustle and bustle he was kind of surprised. Carolina walked through the airport like it was nothing, easily flashing her identifier holos to people speaking in thick french accents and strolling through people.

When it came down to it, Toronto was no different than any other airport; there were holo scanners, way too much redundancy in security measures, people with animals York was sure they couldn’t have and a few suspicious stains in the bathroom stall he stopped at. Toronto itself was the change. Nothing in New York had prepared him for the immediate nip in the air the cool bite of Canada offered him. It was like being reminded to breathe when you weren’t even aware you were holding your breath. York was well travelled, sure, but he had never stepped so close to the Arctic circle during any month other than July. After the decay of climate stabilization and subsequent rebuilding of infrastructure in the 21st century Canada had once more become balls deep in too-damn-cold territory.

York wasn’t built for this. Carolina, however, was a fish in water - _a sexy fish in water, a mermaid_ \- she had, of course, thought to bring a thick jacket but she only held it over her left shoulder with her left pointer and middle fingers. York liked to think he didn't have a type - _that was part of the allure of bisexuality_ \- but fuck was that really revving his engine. She elegantly strode through the snow banks blocking their way to the taxi line up outside. Church stumbled after her, not confidently but not nearly as incompetently as York. York was a lost puppy hopping through snow banks after them for the entirety of the short jaunt to the waiting taxi. The taxi was a warm change of pace, heated seats were good for melting the seventy two icicles one had embedded in their ass via some _graceful ass busting_ near the hot girl they liked and would pay to have their children.

_"You handled that well."_

Deltas smile was audible.

"You alright back there?"

Carolina glanced back from the passenger's seat of the taxi. _Of course, she'd take shotgun. She was kind of a shotgun seat kind of person._

York opened his mouth to respond but was cut short by Church - who had stopped leaning against his side of the taxi to answer a text - opening the door and sliding in. For some unknown reason Church insisted on taking the middle seat, not the window seat, like a normal human person would rationally do. "

I'm fine."

He answered for York. Carolina snorted, jaded to his antics.

"I'm good too!"

York probably sounded like a child interjecting into adult conversation but he didn't care, he didn't want Lina forgetting he was there.

It only took a few seconds to get situated in their seats and when they did drive off in the direction of their hotel York couldn't help but notice they weren't alone. Two armoured cars drove at close quarters to their cab, never letting them go anywhere without flanking and never letting Yorks pulse return to normal speeds.

\---

The hotel was nice - he _guessed_ , he was raised in New York, he didn't exactly know things - but York was more interested in the clothing stores nearby.

He had been given no time to pack and had been assured he could just buy clothes when he got there.

" _You are underdressed."_

"No shit."

York didn't bother pretending he wasn't talking to someone, Carolina and Church were too busy being rich and having 75 suitcases each to care if he talked to himself. It was only when he came up to tell them he was going to go buy some clothes with their dads credit when they even bothered to remember he was there.

"Oh!"

Carolina seemed surprised, for some reason, that he was actually going to use the money.

"Sure got nothing else to do."

Church - for what York could only assume was for different reasons - had heard that as an invitation.

Carolina, of course, had a _thousand_ suggestions. She knew all the best malls and men's clothing stores. This wasn't her first romp in a new city and she wasn't afraid to show it. She had plans up to her ears and even a time to be back by so as to get the best room service. It was all very serious and ambitious. Like her. It took York a few tries to strike a conversational fire but when he finally did Carolina had a fair amount to say. Carolina didn't just go on these business trips for fun or to appease her father - she always called him The Director for some reason, never dad - she was doing this to set herself up for her own success. She wasn't going to laze around like her brother and expect life to walk over her. Carolina had **plans**. She still wouldn't tell York exactly what exactly their company had its hands in but she would say that she didn't think it was branched out enough. Carolina wanted to expand into medical supplies, manufacture warthogs, hell, she was talking about soldiers armouring. She could be chatty if you warmed her up a little. She didn't talk his ear off but she did at least contribute some real insight. It was only when Church mentioned why they hadn't moved into medical supplies that her good mood vanished once again.

"Dad would have a stroke hearing that, Sis."

Carolina pursed her lips, narrowing her gaze once more and straightening out. Was Church trying to get hit?

"The Warehouse I told you about is down the street, York."

They walked in silence for a fashionable amount of time before Church motioned for them to stop. He leaned against the nearest shop wall, stretching out against it before settling down into a hunched over position, leaning on his knees for support.

"Church?"

York asked, walking up to him. Church didn't answer, instead opting to motion for him to be quiet. Carolinas hand gently eased York away from Church (score!) and pulled him so they could meet gazes.

"We've been walking for a while, Church isn't... good at that."

She seemed very careful with how she spoke, each word was calculated like she was worried she'd misstep.

"Just… give me a second."

Church sounded like he was in pain.

"Just stay here… have a cigarette or something."

York instinctively patted his pocket for his lighter before remembering he hadn't thought to grab it before being kidnapped. _Damn,_ North gave that to him, _I guess I am going to have to ask Leon- The Director for something after all._

"Take your time." Carolina looked at Church with an expression York didn't recognize on her… she was concerned. It wasn't as though he didn't think Carolina was capable of concern or familial love, ambition didn't make someone soulless. It was more that York wondered why she seemed so cautious about showing it.

_What had made her react that way?_

He couldn't focus all of his attention on picking out clothes like he tried. Instead of enjoying clothes shopping like he normally did or keeping up his banter with the angel beside him York spent much of the rest of the day and subsequent night wondering what exactly had really happened out on the cold Toronto streets under a neon shop sign that York didn't bother to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh lore?


	7. 20 questions part 2: the questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> parent death
> 
> also some more songs for this chappy  
> bad side of 25 by patrick stump  
> love like you by rebecca sugar - which is really the song choice for most of this fic on linas part

York had bad dreams again.

This time, however, they were different. There must have been something nagging at the back of his mind about the way Carolina looked the day before because when he found himself in the halls of the warehouse limping through blood and spit he didn’t see his own face staring back at him in the shards of glass. Oddly enough, Carolina looked back at him. Her face was bleeding in the same way he always had, she was dressed as he was, everything was the same minus their expressions. While York remembered his face being contorted with pain and full of anguish, Carolina was silent, emotionless.

_ Her face was trained into silence.  _

York once more woke up, sweating ice. 

It took him a while to get situated in his room after that, it was never easy adjusting to new places or rooms, even if he knew he was supposed to be there. York didn’t like to admit it but losing his depth perception had made him weaker, more vulnerable. He hated feeling this way, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Carolina had told him to wake her for breakfast whenever he woke up, she had cited jet jag as to why she would be liable to sleep in but when York knocked at her door she answered fully dressed and showered. Despite insisting she would need some time to recover she was raring to go at nine Am, having clearly been up for hours.

“Oh! York! Sorry I just got up, this place is probably a mess.”

Yup, if York really looked he could see where she had neglected to tuck the covers of her bed into the bottom left corner. It really was a pigsty.

York was of the belief that making his bed was pointless when he was just going to pass out on it later after drinking too much the night before. They would have an interesting couple dynamic.

_ “Your pulse has increased again, tell Carolina I say hello.” _

York would do no such thing but he did wave at the comm in his ear as a greeting. Once again, Delta was not physically there.

“We should go wake up Church. He won’t be up for days if we don’t.”

Carolina made a good point. Then again, York probably would have done anything she said.

\---

Church was not awake when they knocked at his door. 

Nor was he awake when Carolina scanned herself in and pulled off his sheets.

He wasn’t even really a fully loaded person by the time York slapped the side of his face and gave him a firm shaking - at Carolinas orders of course - the guy could sleep like the dead.

“Mrrrmpff Fukoff…”

Church swatted at York, using his loose hoodie sleeves as a sort of weapon.

“Did you fall asleep wearing your clothes from yesterday?”

Carolina didn’t really need to ask. Church hadn’t even opened up any of his suitcases and his comm was quite clearly resting beside him on his bed. If York had to guess he must have been messaging someone before giving up almost entirely and passing out.

“ _ Don’t.” _

Delta's warning was fair. It was wrong to snoop.

York picked up Churchs comm and shook it, he just wanted to see his notifications, not snoop into them. Carolina didn’t seem to care so it was fine.

**Pervert:** church this is srs

**Asshole:** it’s almost never serious

**Pervert:** hey fuk you grif

**Asshole:** no thanks

**Pervert:** HEY if anyones m8in jokes its gonna be me

**Caboose:** I THINK CHURCH HAS GONE TO SLEEP

_ Are all the people in Churchs group chat listed as insulting comments on their personalities? _

York put Churchs phone down, deciding he didn’t have time to analyze what that might be reflective of.

“I don’t think he’s feeling it today.”

York shrugged back at Carolina who had already set herself on emptying out and organizing his things.

“Maybe we should just go to breakfast without him?”

_ Say yes and make me the happiest man in the world. _

Carolina sighed, setting down a bottle of straight vodka down on the shelf. 

_ “How did he get…” _

York shushed Delta with yet another meaningless wave.

“We could bring him some boxed stuff later.”

After a moment of hesitation Carolina nodded.

“I guess. He might actually appreciate not being woken up  **more** than a five star breakfast service.”

_ Be still my beating heart. _

\---

The food was good, nothing really surprising there. 

Rich people loved their pancakes gold plated and syrup flavoured with the tears of orphan angels. Breakfast was always going to be good, there had never been more a luxurious buffet.

But, as much as the rich and fluffy pancakes tried, nothing could distract him from her.

Carolina ate with the trained grace of a woman who had lived her whole life in class, taking small trained bite sized chunks off of her food with delicately practiced fork movements. York was outgunned in every aspect and  _ man _ , did it kind of turn him on. She didn’t talk with her mouth full, nodded politely when York made comments about the food and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin she had placed delicately and elegantly in her lap.

York ate like a man who was raised in New York. 

“So, Carolina,”

York had to wait for her to finish eating to begin his latest line of conversation. He had the feeling he would have a better chance at getting something out of her once she was full of pancakes and perfectly cut fruit squares.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Hmm?”

She looked up at him, her emerald eyes sparkling with stars that York was certain had been plucked from the stars.

“Well, actually, a few things. We never got to finish our game on the plane you see.”

“ _ Clever.” _

Delta chortled. 

Delta chortled. That was his thing.

“I suppose we didn’t!”

Carolina looked him over, a warm expression breaking through the frigid exterior of her normal icy exterior. 

“Whose turn was it again?

“I believe it was my turn to ask you something.”

York leaned on his hands, pushing his body forward over the edge of the table. He hadn’t previously realized how intimate the two person table they had chosen felt until recently and he had every intention of utilizing it.

"Have at it."

Carolina gestured vaguely with her hand.

"I reserve the right to keep any potential answers to myself."

"Of course. Of course."

York nodded slightly. That was fair.

_ Okay, start small York. Baby steps. _

"Who's older between you and Church?"

"Church is four years younger than me. Not that you could tell by how he maintains himself."

"And how old would that make you?"

"I'm thirty one and I believe that was  _ two _ questions."

She held up her fingers in a peace sign like formation, demonstrating how proficient she was at counting.

"So I get two in return."

York nodded.

"I'm an open book. Ask away."

_ Please ask me if I'm single. I am by the way. _

"Well…"

Carolina tapped her chin, mocking a thinkers position.

"Is your name  _ really _ New York?"

York nodded.

"Changed it about ten years back. New York State at your service."

Carolina blinked in surprise.

"Your last name is State?"

_ "Is it???" _

Delta chirped in surprise, audibly knocking his chair over in his surprise.

"Yes and that was two."

York purred. 

"Ah! You tricked me!"

Carolina almost sounded offended. Almost. 

"I did. It's only fair. Now, Carolina, who's  _ Ally _ and why does Church talk about her in his sleep?"

_ Butter her up, break the ice some more… _

"Churchs ex girlfriend. She left him a while back and he's still crazy about her."

Carolina shrugged.

"My turn. The Director tells me you asked him to have a lighter from your apartment shipped to you here. Why? Couldn't you buy another one here?"

York shrugged.

"Another two parter but I'll let it slide. I don't actually smoke anymore, it has sentimental value."

Carolina nodded.

"I get it."

Okay, show time.

"Why don't I see much of your mom?"

Carolina stiffened. 

_ Probably should have worked up to that one some more. _

To his surprise, however, Carolina sighed and softened out.

"She… died. I was only about six at the time. Me and Church-"

Just as Carolina was about to finally _open_ _up_ to York her comm buzzed.

"Excuse me. I have to take this."

She stood up, pushing in her chair 

"I'll meet you back at our rooms okay?"

"Okay."

York watched Carolina, once more becoming Carolina, walked away from the table. 

" _ That went well. _ "

Delta didn't need to be physically beside York to sense his unhappiness.

"Yeah. It did."

York closed his eye for a moment, leaning his face into his hand. 

  
_ So close yet so far. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is that game of unfinished 20 questions going to be integral to their love story? yes.  
> they have 7 questions left. don't forget that babes uwub


	8. Come On Carolina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws apply

York didn't have any real or legitimate protests to Carolina taking business phone calls - he was after all, here to make sure her business transactions went over well - but the idea of having to redo all that warming up he had already done at breakfast was really irritating.

He could wait for her obediently like a dog outside her room and plead for her to go out on the town with him or he could decide maybe this was pointless and accept that she was out of his league, heading Churchs warning.

York stood outside Carolinas room, tapping away on his phone and imagining running his hands over every detail of her beautifully sculpted body and face. She had a defined bone structure and jawline - not as noticeable as Churchs or the directors but still sharp enough to cut steel - it really was a masterpiece.

If York was being honest he could probably think of a few more exciting things about her to think about - that forbidden collar bone for one - but he had some semblance of decency and recognition of sexual situations. If there was a time to let his mind wander it wasn’t while waiting for Carolina to come up to her room and meet up with him.

“Hey.”

Church moved surprisingly quietly for someone who slouched about a foot and carried around about four hundred extra pounds of heavy clothing.

“Hey.”

York tried to act cool, he didn’t want to let Church in on his not noticing him. It wasn’t his fault really, he came up on his blind side! That was sneaky and unfair!

“Waiting for her huh?”

Church looked like he had just flopped out of bed, clearly not ready to face the day in any shape or form it decided to take. He wore bunny slippers - of all things - along his previously worn sweatpants and hoodie.

“You are my charges.”

York shrugged, trying to play it as casually as Church was dressed.

“Yeah.”

Church stopped before scanning his pass to get back into his room - York had no idea why he would have left previously - to look at York. As York watched Churchs expression changed from his signature scowl and frustrated furrowed brow to a look of concern.

_ The same expression Carolina wore outside that shop. _

“Listen,”

Church leaned his arm against the wall, resting his weight on it for a few moments before deciding to just give up and lean fully against the wall with it serving as a pillow to his head.

_ Was he getting a brotherly talking to? _

“You gotta stop poking at her man.”

“What do you-”

“Don’t play dumb. It’s only been two days and you’re already acting like you’re on the courtship road.”

Church had a point. He was being a bit forward.

“If you wanna flirt with Lina you have to do it the right way. Get to know her a little.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

York didn’t bother trying to deny it this time, Church had him pegged. York was on the metaphorical fishing hook and there was no wiggling his little worm body back into the bait can.

“This damn trips’ gonna take a few months. Don’t push it too fast too far.”

York opened his mouth to say something clever but instead found himself interrupted by the telltale clicking of Carolinas combat boots against hardwood stairs. 

“Hey sis.”

Church gave Carolina a half nod greeting before opening his door and - presumably - heading back to bed.

“Oh hey-... Church.”

Carolina trailed off, having been given no time to properly respond before Church had moved on from the conversation entirely.

“York,”

She turned to him.

“Were you waiting this whole time?”

York shrugged.

“Only been about 20 minutes.”

“ _ It has been 47 minutes.” _

York waved his hand again. 

“I was thinking when you got done we could venture out into the cold and see what we find. Maybe take your mind off work for a while.”

Carolina paused, milling it over in her mind. 

“That sounds… fun.”

She smiled slightly at York - a forced smile, not a real one, York knew what those looked like - and nodded.

“Let me grab my jacket.”

She only took a few seconds to return from the room but somehow emerged wholly changed. York hadn’t realized how form fitting a coat could be until he saw it on someone whose form was so…  _ sexy.  _ It was a simple jacket with two rows of buttons going up the front and a nice black fabric exterior. It seemed to add some bulk to her so he had to assume she was nice and warm under all that class.

York, having learned his lesson, had bought himself a thick Canadian Goose jacket that stretched all the way past his knees to his ankles. It wasn’t fashionable or particularly easy to move in but York was thankful for it the second they opened the hotel doors and greeted the harsh wind. 

Carolina threw a worn black scarf over her shoulders and buried her head in her hood before motioning for York to go ahead of her.

“Lead the way.”

York had seen some impressive shopping centres along the way to their hotel. York didn’t know if Carolina was the shopping type but it didn’t hurt to try.

She was an obedient follower, always staying on his good side, never out pacing him or moving too fast. It was always a relief to have someone who actually followed you like a normal person should, South always used to-

_ South. _

York shook his head, he couldn’t think about South right now. Carolina was here and she was a good follower who only raised some questions when he stopped in front of the mall he had seen near the airport.

“You want to go to a mall?”

She cocked her head, curiously.

“What? Never been to the mall?”

She paused, wrinkling her nose slightly.

“Not since I was a little girl. I haven’t had the time.”

York laughed briefly before smothering himself. He didn’t know why but the idea of Carolina as a little girl was funny to him. _ Baby Carolina with pigtails and a missing front tooth… _

“Well, you’re missing out.”

He pulled the door open for her, gesturing for her to walk in front of him. Later York put together her hesitancy might have been based around him looking at her ass while she walked but in the moment he only said:

“Don’t worry, I can keep up.”

That seemed to relax her.

She walked in, looking around her curiously.

“This is… busy.”

York strolled up to her, unzipping his now far too heavy and thick jacket as he went.

“Oh yeah, these places always are.”

York was used to crowds but Carolina seemed out of place and awkward. York had to save her a few times via reaching his hand to her and pulling her towards him and away from whatever rude passerby she had bumped into.

“Thanks…”

Carolina muttered after they finally escaped the initial crowd and ducked into a store.

“No problem.”

York looked around them. The store had turned out to be some kind of department store with walls and display mannequins covered in affordable and practical fashions.

“Care to see how the other half lives Princess?”

York held out his arm to her in a crooked position so as she could lock her arm with his if she so chose.

Carolina snorted but, to Yorks immediate and total surprise, locked their arms together.

“Lead the way manservant.”

_ Please God, if you’re out there, please don’t let me get a boner in this mall. _

Carolina was easy to lead around and York loved talking to her like a tour guide.

“Now THIS, your majesty, is called a pack of socks. It’s for people who wear socks but don’t care about comfort or their feet.”

Carolina chuckled at that.

“Do they  _ really _ wear these things every day?”

York nodded.

“And sometimes they wear them twice a week because the Poors have to do their own laundry.”

Carolina fake gasped before pausing, looking past York at something in his blind spot.

York turned, half expecting a man with a gun to be staring back at him. Instead of a dangerous army of killer robot bees, however, York instead found himself looking at a pair of heel high lace up leather boots with about two inches of even padded soles and idealized teal laces. 

“What are those?”

“Docs.”

York shrugged.

“You like em? I have a few pairs at home. Careful, there are some codes with some lace colours that date way back to the 21st century.”

Carolina let go of Yorks arm and rapidly shuffled her way to the displayed boxes.

“You... like them?”

York couldn’t help but be confused. Carolina didn’t seem the type to care about shoes.

Carolina nodded. 

“Back at home I only have heels and slip ons.”

York hissed in sympathy.

“Guessing these boots you’re wearing are just your winter garb them?”

Carolina nodded.

“I  _ hate _ heels but my dad insists.”

“Well. Why don’t you buy them?”

Carolina paused.

“I’m-”

“I could buy them. It’s your dad's money anyways.”

York cocked his hips, looking her up and down

“What size are you? Mens 10?”

Carolina set the shoes down, shaking her head.

“Mens 11.”

York whistled through his teeth.

“I was close.”

Carolina seemed hesitant to pick the shoes back up but York went right for it, examining the boxes for the right size.

“Here,”

He handed her the box.

“Just try em on.”

Carolina nodded before dropping down and unbuckling her boots. She slipped the shoes on easily, lacing them up in a few swift movements. 

York didn’t need to ask to know she liked them.

“Here, toss me the box.”

Carolina did as she was told, watching York curiously as she undid the laces again.

“Why?”

“My treat - or rather, your dads.”

Carolina looked like she wanted to protest but instead straightened up and cautiously put the shoes back in the box.

“Thank you.”

She said stiffly.

“No problem.”

Almost the second that they left the store, Carolina was crouching down and sliding the shoes back onto her feet, discarding her boots into the box like they were yesterday's trash.

“These are… nice.”

She smiled up at him. 

“ _ Why did you do that?” _

York muted Delta without a word, beaming back at Carolina.

“They are, aren't they?”

Wandering around with Carolina after that was different. She walked in front of him now, much more confidently than before - which was hard to do. 

It was only when they had made a full loop around the mall that she let York take the lead again. 

“What now?”   
Carolina turned to look at York. He could see it in her eyes now.  _ She was having fun! _

__ York paused, clicking Delta back on as stealthily as he could _. _

__

_ “Finally.” _

York grumbled, hoping Delta would put together what he wanted.

“ _ There really isn’t much around you but if you felt like being twelve again you could go across the street-” _

York muted Delta again, having spotted what Delta was talking about before Delta had even gotten the chance to finish his snide remark.

“Feel like playing some laser tag?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slams fists on table  
> carolina loves!! doc!!! martins!!!!!!!! fuck u!
> 
> also churchs brotherly lecturing is inspired by this fic please read it its so good  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/6826939/chapters/15583510


	9. Kiss kiss fall down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> panic attacks  
> flash backs  
> character death  
> blood  
> eye injury

Carolina was an odd mixture of confused, amused and incredulous throughout the entirety of the game prep time. The very idea of  _ laser tag _ was foreign to her. York got the feeling no one had ever invited her to go anywhere that could be considered even remotely childish.

And, _ boy, _ was this place ever childish.

It was no secret that holographic walls and enemy combatants had been added to many childrens games since the technological boom of the 2400s but York wasn’t really mentally prepared enough to deal with combat formated holograms trying to be childlike. On one hand the arena was like a maze, spreading out through a large room that York could get lost in within seconds and on the other the cracks in the walls were lined with silver trim and neon pink blood. It was… stylistic, to say the least.

York glanced over to Carolina - she wasn’t hard to find, they were the only adults in the room minus the holo instructor telling them not to run, jump or call each other slurs. She was lost in her faux chest armouring, examining each target where she could take a potential blast from a toddlers laser gun like it was a bullet wound waiting to happen. She was  _ adorable _ . 

“I still can’t believe you agreed to this.”

York strode over to her, trying to relax her with a disarming grin.

“You seemed so excited, I couldn’t just say no.”

Carolina turned her gaze away from York to the mass of squabbling children milling around them. 

“So… This is some kind of free for all?”

“Yup! One on one! I had to make sure they did that here.”

Carolina glanced back at him, eyebrow raised.

“Why?”

York shrugged.

“I wanted to see if you were as competitive as you came off as.”

Carolinas eyes flashed. York knew it, there was an inherent desire for competition in this woman. She was going to kick his ass and knock over a bunch of strangers crotch goblins in the process.

“I am.”

Carolina grinned back at him, a devilish expression taking hold of her.

_ Good,  _ thought York,  _ I wanna see this girl compete. _

Did York have a fetish for women who could beat him up? Probably but he didn’t have time to ponder on it before the door slid open and their armourings lit up with targetable nodes.

If York was a gentleman he probably would have let Carolina have as much of a chance to run away from him as they were giving the kids running in front of them.

York was not a gentleman. York shot Carolina the second her chest piece turned from dark gray to teal and took off running, laughing as the indignant cries of disbelief and anger became more and more distant.

York was an incredibly fast runner, he had placed well in his high school track scores and had gotten even better at running since. It came with the job really. Ever since he had met North and South he had always been ready for taking out people and running away from their corpses before they were even cold.

South always used to say that if he didn’t get faster at running they’d have to leave him behind one day.

York took aim at a passing kid, they were too busy running from another behind them to notice York hiding behind the wall. York considered chasing after their pusurer but thought better of it, they had probably seen their prey's chest piece turn gray and start beeping out a countdown and turned away.

This was fun, York told himself, he was having fun!

He was having fun shooting these kids in a completely non psychotic way!

South would have loved this!

_ South. _

Suddenly York wasn’t running through a neon maze anymore, he was ducking for cover in a thickly outlined forest, desperately trying to page South. 

_ “South! South! Where are you?” _

He was scared, every part of his body shaking.  _ Why wasn’t she picking up? Why had she ran away last second? _

_ “I saw what happened! They have North!” _

North went down hard, he needed medical assitance and he needed it yester-fucking-day. York couldn’t see where they dragged him, he had to get closer.  _ But if I get closer they’ll see me too. _

_ “South!” _

Why did she run away like that? What was she doing running? Why didn’t she stuck to the fucking plan? NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF SHE STUCK TO THE PLAN. 

_ “SOUTH CAN YOU HEAR ME?” _

York was close now, he was checking around the corner and-

Something grabbed him from his blind side.

York screamed, desperately trying to hit at the man he knew was holding a gun to his face.  _ NOT THE FACE PLEASE! _

__ “York!”

Carolina. It…  _ It was Carolina.  _ Carolina hit him… No no that wasn’t right… Carolina wasn’t there. 

York looked up at Carolina, blinking away the forest and the blood.

“ _ You weren’t responding to me, York, I’m afraid I had to send Carolina a message to find you.” _

Carolinas hand was on Yorks face, resting over the scar left from the burly man's pistol.

“York. What’s… what’s going on? First I get a message from your comm telling me I need to come find you and when I do you’re…”

York looked around. He had slumped himself against one of the holo walls, cradling his laser blaster like a scared kid holds a stuffed animal. He hadn’t even noticed when it started but his eyes suddenly felt like he had been crying. Hard.

York couldn’t speak, he wanted to say something and explain this all away with a joke but all that came out was a strangled squeak. 

“York…”

Carolinas voice was soft and trained like this wasn’t her first time dealing with this.

“Listen to me. You are safe. Whatever you saw, whatever you felt,”

She took his hands in hers, squeezing them tightly.

“It wasn’t real. This is real.  _ I _ am real.”

York squeezed her hands as tightly as he could, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Ok… Okay.”

“York. Do you want to leave?”

York looked at the timer display located at the side of the room and shook his head.

“There’s still ten minutes left. I paid for a full game.”

Carolina nodded before pulling him to his feet.

“How about we work together now, does that sound okay?”

York nodded.

“That sounds great.”

Carolina began to move away from York before abruptly stopping and turning to look at York. 

**_She shot him._ **

“HEY!”

York barked at her, indignantly puffing out his chest.

“Okay  **NOW** we work together.”

York chuckled, jogging after Carolina who had already resumed her completely non psychotic hunt for children to shoot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and i thought "what if i made this sad" and i did but also im sappy


	10. alcohol killed the radio star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW:  
> alcohol abuse

Carolina wasn't kidding when she said she was competitive. York had to run to keep up with her sporadic ducking behind walls and fast pace shooting sprees. Sometimes she would even stand in wait near her targets and shoot them the second their armour turned back on. No matter what she did or how many sessions she clocked them in for she never seemed to break a sweat - a stark contrast to the sweat stained York who had to brace himself on things every time she let them slow.

_ It was so hot _ .

York wanted to cry when they finally admitted exhaustion and slunk back to the affectionately named Airlock. Carolina - of course - was top of the headboard while York was sitting squarely in third. Some kid had beat him out with a last second shot to their friends back.

Carolina looked at York, a wild and genuine smile splayed across her face.

"Should we go again?"

York wanted to tell her yes but it was nearly six in the afternoon and Yorks blood sugar couldn't take another half an hour session - she'd punched in over twelve of them already - and he was getting hungry.

"Don't you think it's quitting time? Church won't get up on his own to eat and him starving in his sleep would probably put a pretty significant dent in my pay."

Carolina snorted.

"He's liable to do that. He hasn't gotten up before nine pm for a decade."

Carolina took the lead on the way back, a slight satisfied skip in her step.

_ Bet she could go for hours like that. _ York thought, not even attempting to bat away any potential conclusions his psyche brought forth. There was no need to pretend when she was this distracted.

"I had fun!"

Carolina didn't need to say it, it was obvious from her demeanor. Carolina loved competition.

"Yeah."

York smiled at her, once more pushing the door open for her. 

Carolina didn't hesitate to walk ahead of him.

"We can get something to eat in one of the restaurants down here if you're too tired to walk to that steakhouse we saw back a bit."

York held up his hands in surrender.

"I just can't keep up with you, Lina."

_ Shit _ . 

To Yorks utter surprise, Carolina didn't react to the nickname, she didn't even seem to care.

"Come on. We can take the elevator."

York nodded, obediently following her through the lobby towards the elevator. 

Carolina punched in their floor, not even reacting when York pressed the close door button. He knew deep down that they didn't do anything but it was nice to imagine the world would let him have this. He wanted to be alone with her. Just for a second.

"Hold the door!"

Of course.

Carolina stuck her arm out, stopping the door just in time for an absolute bean pole of a man slink in alongside them.

"Sorry!"

He chirped at Carolina, awkwardly wiggling his fingers before sticking his head out of the elevator to yell at a dawdling bearded man. 

"DEXTER!"

The scruffy looking man looked at their recently interrupted elevator. He made no attempt to hurry towards them, instead he walked idly towards them with his hands in his hoodie pockets, unconcerned that he was holding them up.

"Sup."

The man gave a non committal wave before settling in beside his partner.

" _ Dexter _ ."

The beanpole hissed at him.

"Hey. Already got our floor."

Dexter didn't seem bothered by the curious expressions York and Carolina wore nor the mental knives being hurled at him by the nearby human lamppost.

" _ Dex." _

The lamppost hissed, once more trying to rouse the man out of his perpetual near sleep state.

"Relax. Church isn't going to care."

Carolina snapped her fingers.

"You must be Simmons and Grif! Church texted me he invited some of his Canadian friends to eat with us!"

"Actually it's Grif and Simmons."

Dexter really didn't miss a chance.

"Carolina!!

Simmons clapped his hands, excited at the prospect of making the connection.

"You're Carolina!"

Carolina nodded, holding her hand out to Simmons.

"It's good to meet you."

York, unable to help himself, popped up between the two.

"Nobody asked but I'm York."

Dexter - or was it Grif - gave York a slight nod of his head as a greeting.

"Dexter Grif."

_ So it was both, that made more sense. _

Simmons turned to York with a chipper and slightly forced smile. His face was scarred, a bionic eye embedded in his skull set to match his prosthetic arm hiding under his hoodie sleeve.

"Oh! You must be Carolinas friend."

_ Carolina didn't correct him! _

"Yeah, Church only has four friends and Caboose and we're two of them." 

Dexter got smacked for that. 

Carolina snorted, nodding slightly.

"I've heard about this Caboose. He's in Alaska isn't he?"

Dexter shrugged.

"Tucker thinks he got on the wrong plane a decade ago and was just too stupid to figure it out. He's doing pretty good out there with his seventy two zillion dogs who are actually just wolves he's convinced are huskies.

Carolina opened her mouth to say something but the elevator door opening to reveal Church waiting for them interrupted her.

"Oh. You brought Dickons and Grif."

"You  _ have _ to know that's not my name."

Simmons protested weakly. York wasn't sure  _ he _ was sure Church didn't know.

Church pushed his way into the already crowded elevator.

"I got us reservations at the restaurant downstairs near the elevator because I know Grif wasn't gonna walk far."

"Wait Church our coats-"

Carolina began.

"Just throw em over your seats."

Church soon came to regret entering in the crowded elevator with Dexter as the second the door closed Church realized that he was perfectly sized for Dexters to put their arms on and rest upon. Whether or not Dexter was strong or Church simply could not fend off the weight of a man his size was unclear, what was clear was that Churchs hair was flattened to his face by sweaty palms by the end of the elevator ride and York had got some pretty good action shots of him yelling.

“I can’t FUCKING see through this shit!”

York watched as Church angrily pulled at his hair, trying to spike it back into its original messy formation.

“You can’t see anyway.”

Carolina quipped as she walked away from the group towards the check in for the restaurant. 

York took his time, pretending to be interested in the banter between Church and his cartoonishly different friends, before setting after Carolina. She was the belle of the ball and he didn’t want to miss anything she did.

“Just grabbing us some menus now.”

Carolina didn’t look at him as she spoke, instead she opted for examining the drinks menu she had been handed earlier while York was standing back.

“They have drinks here I don’t even know how to pronounce, let alone envision.”

York smirked, leaning on the counter beside her.

“You drink?”

Carolina paused, furrowing her brow like that was a loaded question.

“No. Alcoholism… runs in the family.”

York nodded, at first not picking up what exactly it was that Carolina was laying down. It wasn’t until he saw Church stride over them and pluck the drinks menu from Carolinas hand with practiced ease that it clicked.

It was a bunch of little things coming together all at once: the second interaction he had had with Church was Church lying drunk in a bedroom that was not his own, Church didn’t get up until after noon on a good day, he never seemed to change his clothes or take care of himself…

_ Why exactly was Church here if he had no investment with the company? Did Carolina want to keep an eye on him? _

  
  


Carolina sat down beside York, making sure her seat was facing Churchs spot in between Simmons and Grif. 

“ _ Did you know that 30% of adults have abused alcohol in their lifetime? Or that the number has more than doubled since the end of the War?” _

York didn’t bother swatting at Delta this time, he was too busy pretending not to notice Churchs flagging down of a waitress to ask for a bottle of red for ‘the table.’

Throughout the meal York tried to keep his attention on Carolina - his sweet angel straight from Heaven who loved running down kids and calling them bad shots - but it would be hard not to look over at Church sometimes. He didn’t act or look drunk but York was fairly confident that it wasn’t his beanpole friend or lazy sidekick who was busy trying to pick food off other people's plates that was slamming back most of the previously full bottles contents.

_ No, _ thought York, _ that was all Church. _

The meal came to a pleasant close with Church in a good - possibly artificial - mood waving Grif and Simmons off.

“Don’t drink and drive!”

Grif laughed before affectionately patting Simmons on the ass.

“C’mon everybody knows Simmons can’t drive and I don’t drink.”

“Okay, die then you fucking pussy.”

Church quipped after Grif and Simmons.

Grif gave a half assed peace sign wave before opening the door to the restaurant and nudging Simmons through. Simmons almost managed to make it all the way through the door before once more being ass slapped.

“ **_DEXTER_ ** _!” _

He indignantly squeaked at his larger partner.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,”

Carolina stood up, stretching her arms out behind her back. She hesitated a moment before turning to York.

“Can you stay here and…”

York nodded, looking across the table at Church who was examining the partially emptied bottle.

“Yeah.”

Carolina waved, quickly hustling away to the bathroom around the corner.

Church and York sat in silence for only a second or two before Church seemed to come to a conclusion.

“Seems a shame to waste it…”

York wasn’t sure who Church was talking to and couldn’t help but squeak when Church pressed the bottle to his lips and downed what was left of the contents.

“Hey- Church… Buddy.”

Church didn’t look at him, instead opting to lean back in his chair and deposit his feet on the table.

“Something to say?”

York opened his mouth, fully intending to say something, but closed it when to his relief Carolina rounded the corner once more shaking her hands dry.

“Should we go back to our rooms?”

Carolina asked, already picking up her jacket. It wasn’t really a question. Her and York had to be up early tomorrow if they wanted to get to the first of many meetings with some CEO guy York wasn’t allowed to know the name of on time.

“Sure.”

Church shrugged, pulling his feet off of the table in a swift but destructive motion that took some napkins and a fork down with him.

“Meet you at the elevator.”

Church turned away from them, hands in his pockets, and began padding towards the elevator. It was only a moment before Carolina finished picking up the fallen table scraps and walked after him but it took York a while to finally muster up the courage to follow. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should have said something to at LEAST Carolina until he got up to his room.

When York reached his room he turned just in time to see Carolina turn back and walk towards him.

“Hey,”

She began, leaning against the wall beside Yorks door.

“I just wanted to say thank you.”

“For.. for what?”

“For today. I had fun. We should do some stuff together again.”

Carolina squeezed his hand with her fingers - only for a second - before turning on her heel and waving goodbye to York.

_ “Agent York? Are you alright?” _

Delta chirped curiously.

York barely managed to slip himself back into his room and press his face into a pillow before exploding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me sof


	11. transformers is for the bis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> past trauma
> 
> also friendly reminder that its canon that both church and carolina liked or new about transformers at least once in their lifetime as both of them have made explicit transformers references in CANON

For the first time in a matter of months, York didn't have bad dreams. Instead of bad dreams haunted by alcohol and panic filled memories like he had been expecting, York found himself lying.in bed with Carolina. There was nothing risque or especially dream-like about the vision - save for the fact that he was later sure that the bed was floating - they were just lying together, their hands interlocked. 

It was  _ nice _ , domestic even.

York woke up to Delta playing music.

Not good music, mind you, shitty classical music.

“ _ Up and at em. Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey. _ ”

“Why are you talking like that…?”

York grumbled, rubbing at his face.

“ _ I am trying to be more personable.” _

“It’s not working.”

_ “Noted. Carolina is outside." _

York didn't need another warning to get dressed. She was always worth impressing.

York thought he was presentable up until he opened the door to look at Carolina. She wore a button up suit jacket, dress pants and a lightly tinted teal blouse - basically everything his wet dreams had warned him about since the tender age of twelve.

"You look… nice."

Carolina examined him, trailing her eyes up from his slightly ill-fitting jeans and converse to his loose t-shirt and hoodie.

"You look beautiful."

York didn't think to stop himself. It just happened to slip past his unforgiving lips.

" _ Nice. _ "

Delta chirped.

"Oh!"

Carolina brushed her jacket ass.

"Thank you. Do you mind if we grab breakfast in the limousine? We're already running late because I slept in a little more than I meant to."

York shrugged, he didn't really care either way, as long as he ate with Carolina he didn't mind.  _ Eating breakfast with another person was the most intimate thing in the universe. _

"There's a few drive throughs we could hit up…"

Carolina was still talking her way through each meal possibility on the way to the meeting place - some kind of skyscraper out of downtown - while York pulled on his shoes. It was nice hearing her talk like this, it felt domestic. He liked domestic.

Carolina, doing nothing to take him away from his domestic fantasy, opened the door for him and smiled at him as she slid into the seat beside him.

"You warm enough?"

Carolina cocked her head at York before gesturing to the space heater esque box heater built into the car in front of them.

"It's a long drive and I know you don't like this weather."

_ She knows what I like and don't like! _

York was about two more domestic moments from boner city. 

"Little chilly. How long did you say this ride was?"

Carolina upped the temperature by a few degrees before settling back into her seat.

"Well if traffics good we should only be about an hour or two. If not... well… I hope you're wearing comfortable socks"

Carolina stooped down to remove her shoes, setting them down gingerly beside her.

York was once more a blushing Victorian age woman seeing the bare flesh of her lover. _She was wearing_ _fuzzy kitty socks_.

_ Be still my beating heart. _

If York got a boner for Carolina in socks he was going to have a stern talking to with his reflection. 

"So. Could be here a while."

York purred, leaning closer to her.

"20 questions?"

Carolina raised her brow at him. 

_ She suggested it! _

York swallowed and nodded.

"Still got seven questions left on our round."

Carolina turned to face him.

"I'm up first."

York wasn't sure if that was true but Carolina could have told him to cut off his penis and eat and he probably would have.

"What's your sign?"

York nearly choked on his own spit.

"Hwhat?"

Carolina laughed.

"Your zodiac sign!"

York got the distinct feeling Church had been putting ideas in her head but he wasn't going to protest.

"Pisces."

Carolina raised her eyebrow.

"You don't actually know the signs do you?"

"Church has led me astray before."

York laughed, leaning his head back as he did so.

"Guess it'd be pointless to ask you what yours is."

"The goat one?"

Carolina shrugged, an expression of bashful confusion spreading across her perfect face.

"Okay. Okay. My turn. What is your favourite city you’ve visited.”

  
Carolina clapped her hand on her thigh.

“Dallas Texas, without any doubt.”

_ “Dallas? _ Why?”

York tried not to sound incredulous.

“Nope! That was your question! Wait your turn!”

Carolina chirped at him.

“What is your favourite animal?”

York snorted and leaned back in his seat.

“Golden retriever. I used to have five dogs as a kid and all of them were different retrievers, only the golden one ever used to sleep with me instead of my brothers.”

Carolina raised her brow.

“You have brothers?”

“Nope! That was  _ your  _ question, wait your turn.”

She had left herself wide open there, it really was just common sense to turn it back on her.

“What is  **your** favourite animal?”

“Blue macaw.”

She answered firmly and quickly.

  
  


"Blue macaw."

York said finally, having taken a second to load.

"Mmhmm. My turn."

She turned on him, her face suddenly serious.  _ Oh God she _ 's _ gonna ask about my eye and I'm gonna have a melt down and- _

"What were your brothers names?"

"Dixie, Trixie, Pecan, Jack and Zack."

York didn't need to think too hard on that one, every one of his siblings had another sibling whose name rhymed with theirs.

Carolina sputtered, clearly not expecting such a dumbass or straight to the point answer.

"What kind of names are those??"

"My parents were interesting."

York coughed into his hand, hoping she'd pick up he wanted to move on from the topic. She seemed to get the hint and motion for him to ask his next question.

“What cartoons did you used to watch when you were a kid?”

Carolina snorted.

“I haven’t thought about those things in decades,”

She touched a finger to her lips as if she was deep in thought.

“Hmmm… Transformers.”

“Transformers.”

York repeated back at her.

“You watched Transformers.”

“Every episode, every series.”

Carolina nodded.

“My mom came from a long line of 21st century history buffs and every now and then they slipped in a little 1980s nostalgia.”

“I have never, not once in my life, watched a single episode of Transformers.”

Carolina guffawed before pulling out her tablet.

"Not even the movie?"

York shook his head.

"Nope."

Carolina shook her head.

"Nope!"

She pulled up a file on her tablet labelled  _ in case of emergency _ and opened it, revealing files upon files of remastered cartoon episodes.

  
  


" _ Is she serious?" _

Delta sounded indignant. 

Carolina had been so serious before but now here she was pulling out her apparently very important storage of Saturday morning cartoons.

"We are watching the movie RIGHT now and you will tell me what you think."

She was so serious.

  
_ Domestic _ , York thought as he leaned over her shoulder to peer at the tablet screen balanced on her knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> york be sappy


	12. stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> past trauma  
> mentions of car accidents

“Who the fuck is this guy?”

“Why do you assume it's a guy? That’s  _ Arcee _ and  _ she’s _ no guy. Quiet! You’ll miss the best part!”

York didn’t mind watching through Carolina's hair. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. She smelled like raspberries and toast with just a hint of unstoppable raw fuck off power. He could have grown old and died just nestled there, letting his eyes close while something or rather happened on a screen he had never really been able to see through her hair. If there was a Heaven awaiting York at the end of the tunnel he’d have to turn it down in favour of this.

It was like being stabbed in the gut when the limo finally rolled to a stop outside of an ominously tall skyscraper. 

“ _ UNSC.” _

Delta didn’t need to say it for York to put it together. Even if the letters at the top of the building weren’t illuminated the place screamed military; every little thing was perfectly maintained, the nearest parking garage was fenced off and only accessible via keycard and what little York could see of the offices inside was well maintained and strictly professional.

“UNSC?”

York turned to Carolina, cocking his head to the side.

“You’re meeting with the UNSC?”

Carolina didn’t answer, instead opting to fluff her jacket collar up and motion for him to follow her into the building.

Once they got into the lobby Carolina was immediately asked for identification - something she provided easily - and told to wait for clarification. Once she was past the first rows of scanners York was told to wait for Carolina to call him forward. He needed to be printed a visitor's pass.

“ _ If they scan for active signals they’ll kick you out, York.” _

Delta sounded scared. Neither of them were thrilled to be back here.

“Shut down the link then.”

York hissed quietly, hoping no one heard him.

“I’ll be fine.”

“ _ If anyone finds out who you are-” _

York muted Delta. He didn’t have enough time to make sure Delta shut down his end before he was called to walk through the scanners. 

York tried to act casual, he couldn’t look too used to scanners. He held up his arms in a mock surrender pose as he walked through, silently praying Delta had managed to hide himself in time.

When the buzzer did go off York thought he was done for. This was it, he was going to be either shot in front of his angel or court martialed. He didn’t know which was worse.

“Your belt has a metal buckle.”

An uninterested guard from the corner of the scanner waved to him, gesturing for him to put the offending belt in a nearby plastic box.

“Put it in the box and go again.”

York did as he was instructed, hoping against hope that he made it through the day. It wasn’t a surprise when it went off again - that was just his luck - and they opted for a good old fashioned pat down.

“What happened to your eye?”

The guard with his hand closest to Yorks crotch asked. 

“Car accident.”

It wasn't even remotely close to the truth but he had to hope no one looked too hard into it.

"Mm. Happens to the best of us."

The guards straightened up, one of them motioning for York to go ahead to Carolina.

York took his belt from the box carefully, never letting his guard down. There was no worse place to come back to for him and that was saying something.

In a weird way, as he walked after Carolina and her assigned escort, it was like he was coming home.

\---

They made York wait outside the room.

He spent a whole three hours holding his lighter - something he was glad to have found waiting for him in his hotel last night - and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It was only a matter of time before someone saw through the hair dye and scars and realized who they had let into the building. 

York was alone.

Until she walked out.

"York?"

"Lina!"

York probably sounded too excited.

"We had to cut it short, something came up on their end,"

Carolina blew her hair out of her face.

" _ Another  _ fucking reschedule. It's like they're  _ trying _ to waste my time."

York was pretty sure she was still talking when they began to walk towards the elevator but he didn't hear anything.

He couldn't hear anything except his heart beating in his eardrums until the building was out of range of the back view mirror. 

\---

"Are you alright?"

Carolina had been previously giving him space, opting to let York walk out on to the top communal balcony unaccompanied, but it seemed that Yorks time alone had run out and she was officially worried for him.

York didn’t answer verbally, instead patting the railing beside him. Delta was still quiet, York wasn’t used to being alone this long and it was starting to get to him.

“You’ve been acting weird since we got back. Is there something wrong?”

Carolina padded up to him, settling back against the rail once she felt he had moved enough for her to rest near him.

“I…”

York shook his head. He didn’t want to get into it. Delta might have told him not to do it because she might rat him out but that wasn’t why York let it drop. He wasn’t ready to talk about it.

“I don’t want to talk about it okay?”

Carolina nodded.

“Okay.”

Carolina looked past him, gazing up into the night sky. She was completely unaware that she was the brightest star in the sky, practically blinding York with her beauty. Moonlight highlighted her delicately sculpted face and perfectly reflected off the gloss coat painted elegantly over her lips. The night sky was the wall on which her masterpiece was mounted.

“The big dipper.”

She spoke, seemingly out of the blue, and pointed at a collection of stars that dared to try and take attention away from her.

“You can’t see it from Texas.”

York cocked his head, grinning at her.

“You in the habit of looking at the stars?”

Carolina shrugged.

“Sometimes. It helps me think.”

York smiled at her. 

“What are you thinking about now?”

“Cheese sandwiches.”

She said it so matter of factly and seriously that York had to stop himself from laughing.

_ “Cheese sandwiches? _ Really? _ ” _

Now he had heard everything.

“I haven’t had a grilled cheese sandwich in ten years.”

Carolina turned to look at York.

“And one of the execs from this morning smelled like them.”

York snorted.

“There’s a constellation over New York that kind of looks like a grilled cheese if you squint.”

“Really?”

“Really. Constellations always look like food if you squint.”

York pointed over her shoulder at a cluster of stars kind of shaped like a singular cocktail shrimp.

“That, right there, is a cocktail shrimp. And there’s one behind it that looks like a sushi roll.”

Carolina laughed, waving her hand.

“Okay. Okay. My turn,”

She pointed over Yorks head to a slab of sky out of his eyesight.

“Croissant.”

York turned to look at the croissant-stellation. He could see it.

“Yeah. I guess. Like a shitty croissant.”

When York turned back his world was forever changed.

Carolina had closed her eyes, just letting herself take in the crisp Canadian breeze with a warm and passive smile splayed across her face. She wasn’t trying to be beautiful or stand out, for a moment, she was just existing.

“Wow,”

York wasn’t sure why he was talking. There was no good reason to ruin the moment.

“You are…  _ beautiful.” _

Carolina looked back at him, her face not changing immediately to disgust or revulsion like he was expecting.

“Thank you.”

York let that hang in the air for a moment, sucking every second dry and storing it away for later, before pointing over her head.

“Hot dog.”

Carolina cocked her head at the hot dog shaped cluster.

“I was thinking more taco but… I can see a hot dog.”

Deltas comm link came online to the sound of genuine  laughter, a sound he hadn't heard from York in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> star gazing.   
> thats my SHIT right there


	13. Breakfast Filler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bow chika bow wow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws apply  
> but please be on the look out next chapter theres blood, gore, torture and abuse in that one.

York wasn't sure when he went to sleep exactly. He knew he at some point had said goodnight to Carolins and headed back to bed but he had no recollection of changing or slipping into bed. 

_ "You had fun last night _ ."

Delta was back, sarcastic as ever.

"Good to hear your voice, D."

York groaned and rolled over to look at the clock beside his bed. It took him a whole minute to process the time.

"ONE THIRTY?"

York shot bolt upright and got dressed at about half the speed of light. He was so fired if Carolina - or Church for that matter - had left their rooms and wandered into town. He was supposed to be with them whenever they left the hotel!

York bolted to Carolinas room, pounding on the door.

"Carolina! I slept in please te-"

Carolina opened the door. Her hair was a mess and her raggedy unkempt pyjamas looked recently slept in.

"Is there something wrong?"

York cocked his head.

"Were you asleep…?"

Carolina yawned and nodded.

"We were up late last night."

"Bow chika bow wow."

A shrill and annoying voice came from Churchs now opened door. When York turned around he was greeted by a tall and well built black man with undercut dreadlocks pulled into an almost ponytail like fashion at the back of his head. He wore a muscle shirt that had some kind of anime girl and cargo shorts that York hated on sight.

It took more time for York to locate Church dozing peacefully on his back than he'd like to admit.

"Oh, you must be Lavernius Tucker! Church told me you would be stopping by last night."

Carolina held out her hand to the man.

"I am but you can call me-"

"Don't."

Church gave Tucker a nudge.

"It's too goddamn early for your bullshit."

"Dude it's nearly 2 pm!"

Tucker nudged Church.

"Yeah well all the time is too early for your bullshit."

"That's not what you thought last night."

Tucker purred back at Church affectionately.

York didn't really want to stick around for their banter and his stomach was aching for some bacon. 

"Hey, Lina, do you want to come downstairs and get something to eat with me when you're dressed?"

Carolina nodded before looking down at her pyjamas.

"I'm gonna have a shower too…"

She stretched her arms back, pulling her shirt back in the process, revealing to the world exactly how chiselled her abs really were.

York needed a cold shower himself actually.

"Sure! Meet you out here in about half an hour?"

Carolina nodded before yawning and shuffling back into her room.

"Dude. I think this guy's trying to bone your sister."

That earned Tucker a hard smack in the face from Churchs sleeved arm.

\---

York showered quickly but thoroughly, he wasn't a complete madman, he didn't want Carolina seeing him rocking morning breath and tussled hair until at  _ least _ their third date.

He would also take post hook up napping as an acceptable time for her to see him at his most vulnerable thirty year old man state.

Getting dressed was easy, he figured he might be able to convince her to brave the cold weather for a walk after they ate so he made sure to dress nice and warm. 

It was the waiting for her outside her room with Tucker and Church that sucked.

Why exactly Church had decided to befriend this man was beyond him. He talked Too loudly, liked the sound of his own voice and was a clear and definite pervert. 

York supposed it had to do with how Church had been snoring on his back for the past twenty minutes without any worries.

"Are you coming with us for breakfast?"

York kind of hoped they'd say no even before he asked.

"Nah, Church said he wanted to just order in."

Tucker cocked his brow, grinning at York.

"Besides I get the-"

Carolina cut him off, seemingly sensing his bullshit before it even happened.

"Well make sure he takes his meds before he eats."

Tucker nodded, clearly trying to think of another bad joke to make.

"You know if you want to talk ab-"

York motioned for Carolina to follow him downstairs, he didn’t really want to hear another Tuckerism before he had anything in his stomach to throw up.

\---

Carolina, always the pragmatist, did not order pancakes, chicken soup, and a loaf of french for brunch. 

York certainly didn’t do that either, why would you even bring that up?

“I don’t know how you can eat that.”

Carolina gestured at Yorks pancake sandwich with her fork.

“It looks disgusting.”

York shrugged before cutting off a piece of pancake and dipping it in his soup.

“Try some.”

He offered it to Carolina who immediately crinkled up her nose and shook her head.

“I think I’ll pass.”

York shrugged. 

“Your loss.”

Once more, Carolina and York ate in comfortable silence. It was becoming a trend.

When York finally finished eating he put his fork and knife over his plate like he had seen Carolina do before. He was truly the pinnacle of class now.

“So, Lina, when did you say they wanted to see you next?”

Carolina practically slammed down her fork with an exasperated huff.

“They’ve been giving me the run around since last night! Supposedly we’re supposed to meet up again in the-”

She made air quote gestures with her hands.

“-next few weeks. Whatever the hell that is supposed to mean!”

“Can’t see why anyone would avoid  _ you _ .”

Was that laying it on too thick? Probably.

“It’s because no takes me seriously!”

Carolina huffed, crossing her arms in a dramatic fashion.

“Gender or age thing?”

“Probably both.”

Carolina huffed.

Silence fell once more over the table, it wasn’t a familiar silence like it had been while they ate. Carolina was far too tense for comfort and York was far too busy trying to get a read on her. 

It was like talking with Washington after the incident.

“You’re really pissed about this huh?”

York finally asked as he stood up and walked over to Carolinas side of the table.

“You need to destress!”

Carolina looked up at him curiously, her brows raised quizzically.

“How about a walk? Maybe see what's on the other side of town? We went left last time we can go right this time. Or south. Or north. Or a little northy-right.”

Carolina chuckled, relaxing her previously tensed shoulders.

“Alright, alright. But you-”

She poked her finger into Yorks chest.

“Have to promise to tell me more about you this time. Last time we went anywhere it was all about me and what was going on in my life. I feel like I don’t know anything about you!”

York smiled, pushing down the feelings of worry threatening to spill over into his throat, and nodded.

He was going to take a stroll through a city he didn’t know with a girl he didn’t really know.

What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and nothing can go wrong


	14. Oh No It All Went Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> blood  
> implied gore  
> violence

**_TWO YEARS AGO_ **

On the day it all went to hell North woke York up late. His excuse was that he had forgotten that York was without an alarm clock in his hustle while cleaning up after South.

He didn't  _ need _ to baby south - and he did baby her - but he liked it in a condescending kind of way.

York rolled out of bed at a solid six AM - about two hours later than he needed to be up if he wanted to eat and shower - and dragged himself through the hallway.

Delta, as always, was standing at the head of the affectionately nicknamed roundtable. It wasn't really round, or much of a table really, it was just a long slab of wood on uneven chair legs North kept promising to even out but never actually did anything about. He was the only fully awake person in the whole room as well as - save for York who was still waiting for his suit to warm up - the only person not wearing full body armour. Delta always wore the same things; a white button up shirt with an unsightly green handkerchief tucked in his breast pocket and black jeans. 

"Good morning, York."

North raised his mug slightly. 

"Shut The Fuck Up."

York flopped down in his seat beside Washington. 

"Didn't wake you up either huh?"

Washington elbowed Yorks side playfully.

York groaned in response.

"Here, got you some coffee."

Washington slid him one of his ridiculous cat ear mugs.

"Thanks Wash."

Washington shrugged.

"No problem."

"Well, now that everyones-"

Delta stopped mid lecture to take his pointer stick away from the holo screen beside him and smack it into Souths visor. She snorted awake, angrily flailing her hands at him.

"Now that everyone's with us we can get to the mission briefing."

"Hey fuck you!"

South, as always, was ignored.

"In review; your client claims that his competitor - DHS manufacturing - has been utilizing unethical practices in the manufacturing of their latest endurance boosters. He wants us to spy on their operations so as to provide him some way of proving it in court."

"We're a rich mans whore again."

South murmured before pulling off her helmet and rubbing at her eyes.

"Always assume we're a rich mans harem, Agent South."

Delta gave Souths hand a firm smack with his dreaded pointer.

"Agent Texas has located one of their testing laboratories,"

He pulled up a map of the area in question.

"Agent York will be leading a stealth team comprised of Agent Washington, Agent Texas - who was the original leader of the mission until Agent South accidentally injured her hand in combat training - Agent North and myself…"

Yorks eyes glazed over around the second review of Norths watchmen position. It wasn't uncommon for Delta to talk himself in circles when he was planning, he always planned too much.

Not that any of his planning wound up mattering anyways.

York, as always, was assigned to drive the first part of the journey. He always drove when it came down to it. North used to drive but one time he adjusted the mirror seventy six times in half an hour and Delta burst a blood vessel. 

York normally didn't mind driving, he rather enjoyed it most of the time, but today he just wanted to get the day over with. All they had to do was get in, plant some bugs and get out. It was simple! 

The first leg of the trip was through a wooded area, it was supposedly meant to conceal their approach but it left York feeling cold and uneasy. Something wasn't right. If they were supposed to sneak up on the testing grounds why were they going through such a noisy area?

"Hey York!"

North gave Yorks shoulder a playful shrug from the back seat.

"Settle a score okay?  _ Washington _ thinks purple isn't a good colour for a warthog - clearly its a great colour as you, a man of substance would know - but nothing I do will convince him."

York huffed, kind of tired of being dragged into annoying little discourse.

"Purple is a good fucking colour, Wash."

"Warthogs shouldn't be fucking purple! Its a damn eye sore!"

Wash squeaked back.

"Hey, got something to say?"

North purred back at him. 

"No I just-"

Whatever Wash was about to say was cut off by a static filled distress beacon from the girls up ahead. 

"Shush!"

York waved his hand at them before skidding the hog to a stop.

The beacon was gone as fast as it came, leaving no way for any of them to figure out what was said.

"Its quiet."

North said softly, reaching under his seat for his rifle.

"That's not good,"

Washington leaned forward into the front seats.

"We should still be able to hear the girls engine up ahead."

"We should."

York agreed.

Delta, for the first time in a long while, spoke up. He leaned forward in the passenger seat, examining the terrain.

"Somethings wrong."

York nodded.

"Texas should-"

York was cut off by a blood curdling effeminate scream. 

"South!"

North cried, leaping out of the warthog and landing with a thump on the ground. The second Norths feet touched the ground, the trees were alive with movement, all sorts of armed guardsmen began pouring out of their hiding spots and rushing towards the hog.

York liked to think himself a competent fighter but in moments he found himself slammed back against the steering wheel by a hand that had no goddamn right to be so forceful.

Washington, always adaptable, seemed determined to keep kicking at his own captors even if it meant going against his armours natural range of movement.

"Hey! Gedoff of-"

Washington was cut off by a harsh blow to the side of the helmet. On its own the blow wouldn't have hurt him but his skull must have hit against his slightly oversized helmet and knocked him out cold.

York tried to push his oppressor off but couldn't. He was too strong and York was too tired.

Delta was screaming something to some approaching combatants but York didn't hear it. Delta didn't really matter anyways.

All that mattered was the sound of Washingtons body being dragged out of the warthog and towards whatever fate laid ahead of him in the armoured carrier vehicle just outside of Yorks vision range.


	15. You Know I Love You Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> blood  
> guns  
> character death  
> psychogenic trauma responses

York woke to the smell of blood. It wasn't a pleasant smell to wake up to but not wholly unfamiliar, during his time as an agent he had been knocked out a few times only to wake up in a pool of blood and discarded armour pieces. 

It was different this time.

It felt more personal.

"York!"

York blinked open his eyes and looked up at Texas. Her blonde hair clung tightly to her torn and bloodied face like a face mask from hell. York normally thought Texs' face was beautiful to look at but now when he looked at her expression of pain and distress he wanted to erase it from his memory.

"Good, you're okay."

Tex sighed and straightened out.

"They took Washington."

"Wash?"

York tried to sit up but instead found himself fighting against his bruised spinal cord.

"Don't sit up yet, your suit hasn't had enough time to fix you up just yet."

Texas patted his back.

"When you  _ do _ get up can you talk to Delta? He's… not taking this so well."

York turned his head to look at the direction of Deltas whimpering, finally realizing what the dog like whining from the back of his senses range was.

Delta was leaning against a tree, his whole back was stiff. 

It took York a minute to finally scrape his way out of the wrecked warthog but when he did he limped on over to Delta.

"D?"

Delta didn't even look at him.

" _ Why didn't I see it? I'm supposed to know things. I'm the guy who knows things!" _

His voice didn't sound right, his normally deep and even vocal patterns had been replaced by an almost robotic sounding squeal. York had heard that sometimes soldiers suffering mental breaks could experience physical pain alongside their mental anguish but he had never heard of anyone's voice pattern changing.

" _ Normally I know things, York." _

York gave Delta a tight squeeze.

"Hey. We'll get him back, D."

" _ What if we don't?" _

York shook his head.

"Don't think like that D. We're only a drive away from a good investigation starting point, that's gotta be something right?"

  
  


" _ Bullshit." _

Delta squeaked out, sliding down the tree slightly before retching and covering his mouth.

Later when York would look it up he would unprofessionally diagnose Deltas' vocal change as some kind of psychogenic voice response but in the moment York didn't care to look too hard into it.

It took nearly half an hour of precious time to get everyone filed into the remaining warthog. South insisted on manning the gun, claiming she had better eyesight than North. North, despite being a trained sniper, didn't seem to have the energy to argue with her. Texas drove, not trusting Yorks still healing concussion to help their already breaking down navigator along.

They drove in alert silence, watching for anything in the trees. At one point North shot a rather noisy crow who Texas was worried would give away their approach more than the warthogs muffled engine was.

It didn't take more than an hour to find the clearing they were told about - at least their client hadn't lied about everything - but when they arrived there was no laboratory, instead they all watched in horror as guard duty after guard duty patrolled around the premises of a fort knox esque fortress. 

"Shit."

Texas flopped back in her seat.

"Okay."

North leaned in between Delta and Texas.

"What's the plan?"

Texas shrugged.

"D?"

Delta didn't say anything. He didn't even seem to be aware she was there.

"I got an idea."

York finally spoke up.

"Tex and Delta go around the back, working their way in through the guard detail from there while me and the twins storm the front."

"You want to just bullrush in?"

South snapped back at York from the gunner position. 

"Are you crazy?"

"Delta?"

Texas snapped her fingers in front of Deltas face a few times to no response. She sighed, once more leaning back.

"You think you have it bad? My back ups comatosed."

South put her face in her hands and slid off of the hog with a thump.

"Okay, at least we'll die with style."

\---

Tex was a one woman army, there wasn't really any good reason to be worried about her.

It was the front team that had the impossible job.

There were regular sweeps of guards around the whole building, each circling at set intervals. If the three of them could slip through the fence in the seconds where there weren't any active circlers they might have a chance to bull rush the front two guardsmen at the door.

Might.

It was a very strong might.

"York, remember, you have to stay here and watch our six."

North didn't really need to go over it again, York had made the damn plan he knew what was going to happen. 

"I know!"

York didn't mean to snap but he didn't sense any hurt from North. Despite the lack of anger from North or South, York had to walk it back. Even in the moment he got the feeling he might never talk to them again.

"Just. Stay safe okay?"

"Yeah."

South didn't even hesitate, turning to York with what York had to assume was a helmet covered smile.

"You too idiot."

"If this works you owe me a drink."

North didn't need to be questioned, York knew he was smiling.

"When this works I'll buy you the whole damn bar."

York clapped his hand on Norths back.

"How about that?"

"I'll hold you to that!"

North paused before running towards the fence and his waiting sister, looking once more to York.

"You know I love you right?"

The last thing that North had said to him was permanently stuck in Yorks mind. It wasn't surprising, North said he loved people all the time, what would later bother York was that he hadn't thought to say it back. York had only thought to wave his hand dismissively and blow him off.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> psychogenic voice problems represent  
> also you all thot ds voice in itallics was just a representation of comms huh? i betcha did NERDS  
> also im finally getting a scope of how long this thing is looking out to be so it might ge like 30-45 chapters


	16. Just Keep Moving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW  
> torture  
> blood  
> death  
> violence  
> broken glass

York knew, in theory, that South had abandoned them.

He just didn’t know how to process it yet.

Not that South mattered right now. He didn’t really have time to focus on whether or not North was still breathing when he was clearly strapped to some kind of metal table. He had his own fish to fry.

“You’re awake then.”

A sinister voice purred from somewhere outside of Yorks now limited visual range. 

“It is good to see you’re not nearly as slow to recover as the other one.”

_ Washington. _

York tried to sit up but found himself tugging against straps holding him prone against some kind of metal table. The bonds felt amateur and overused, clearly they had no idea how leather bonds were prone to snapping or that they were easily unhooked from their hook under the platform. It wasn’t Yorks first rodeo, he had been in situations like this before.

It was however, his first time having to subdue someone with half his field of vision compromised.

His tackle was blind, barely even taking the guy to the ground. If Yorks head was in the right place and his range of vision wasn’t severely damaged he probably would have noticed how easily the man could grab at a discarded broken syringe. 

The man swiped at Yorks neck, barely avoiding anything important. He wasn’t going down easy.

“GeT OFF OF-”

York slammed his head back, trying desperately to end the fight before anyone else heard what was going on. York was having enough trouble trying to subdue one lab coated nerd he couldn’t deal with an army of them. 

He wasn’t exactly sure how the man managed to shake him off but when he did, York's leg hit against something hard and metallic. It stung like a bitch and he was pretty sure he felt something break but he couldn’t waste time nursing his wounds, York had to spring back into action and yank the man away from the comm link on the wall. 

Once more, they went down hard. The two of them were a mess of limbs and curses, trying to shove one another down long enough to maybe get some kind of killing blow. York didn’t realize it until he had forced the mans head down on the ground a few times but at some point or another he had gotten a few pieces of discarded glass from a knocked over beaker embedded in his body. York, ever the opportunist, ripped one of the shards from his leg - something he would quickly come to regret - and shoved it down in the juggalar of the man underneath him.

It took a few moments of thrashing and gurgling for him to go still but when he did he plunged the room into silence.

York exhaled.

“Son of a bitch…”

He flopped back onto his knees, letting himself rest in place for a bit before refocusing himself and looking around. If he really strained himself he could hear screams of protest and anguish.

_ Washington. _

York pulled himself to his feet, desperately clinging to anything that would support his weight as he limped towards the hallway entrance on the other side of the room. 

His body felt like he had been thrown in front of a speeding semi truck and he had no idea where his armour was. He figured they must have stripped him of it when he was knocked out but he didn’t really know. 

York had to brace himself against the hard concrete wall of the fortress, dragging himself along despite the cries of anguish from his face and limbs. Every step was another fresh can of hell he had opened and poured on himself. York was in hell, that must have been it, this was hell. 

If this wasn’t hell why could he smell sulfur and blood?

York didn’t know it at the time but the implications of unethical endurance testing wasn’t simply testing on animals or experimenting on coworkers, it was a sick examination process of how people would react to severe pain or stress with and without endurance boosting. The place they had been sent to ‘investigate’ was no ordinary testing grounds; it was some kind of hell on earth, specifically designed to test the usefulness of someone's bodily responses.

Washington was close, he could hear him.

All he had to do was keep on limping towards him. He just had to keep putting one aching and damaged foot after the other.

_ Just. Keep. Moving. _

York had to tell himself, repeating the words like a mantra even when he found himself dragging his tired and unresponsive body along with his hands. 

_ Just keep  _ **_moving!_ **

York stopped, finally unable to keep pulling himself along the hall. He was so tired. York felt like he was drugged - another thing he would later confirm - he couldn't even lift his own arms anymore.

He was going to die here just like North outside.

North.

York didn't have the time to indulge in the luxury of grief. He had to get up! 

But he didn't move.

He felt tears welling up in his eyes - no, his eye - North was dead. Washington was out of his grasp and North was  _ dead _ . He was  _ dead _ . His best friend was  _ dead _ .

The dumbass little rookie he had spent the last five years affectionately bullying was being tortured feet away from him and North was dead.

_ Just accept it, _ a voice told York,  _ you're not Texas or Maine you can't help anyone. All you know how to do is pick locks and bitch. _

York whimpered, trying one last time to move forward before accepting it. He wasn't Texas. He couldn't save anyone. Let alone himself.

"York!"

South was calling for him, of  _ course _ she'd be his guide to the afterlife. It was the both of them that had doomed North.

Her hands were at his side, pushing him up against the wall. She must have wanted to see him cry.

"YORK! GET THE FUCK UP!"

South slapped him.

York blinked. That didn't feel dead.

York looked up at South.  _ She didn't look dead. _

_ Was that gunfire? _

"IS HE MOVING?"

_ Was that Texas?? _

"YEAH! HE'S BEEN DRUGGED!"

South grabbed Yorks face with her hand and shook him.

"Look at me!"

York blinked at her.

"South? What are you?"

"Saving your ass."

South yanked York to his feet. 

"Duh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the south apologism really jumped out


	17. Sharing Trauma As Foreplay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> past death

South had texted him.

She always texted him when he was about to do something he actually wanted to do. 

There was a part of him that wanted to text her back but truthfully, York still couldn’t think about her.

He had to focus on Carolina. 

Carolina was sitting beside him on a park bench, blowing into her gloved hands for some semblance of warmth.  _ Cuuute!! _ York couldn't help himself, he had to watch her. She was adorable.

"Why did you want to stop and rest here anyway?"

Carolina turned to York, her face unreadable.

"It's cold!"

York nodded.

"Kind of.”

He had been lost in thought, barely able to shake himself free of the crushing reminder of Souths text message, still unread and hidden away in the back of his mind.

“York?”

Carolina cocked her head, looking him over curiously.

“Are you alright? You haven’t been acting like yourself since we left. You looked at your comm and then…”

York sighed, there really was no point in hiding it anymore. He wasn’t acting like himself. South had brought back memories he would have preferred to leave forgotten when she texted and it was hard to deny that he wasn’t thinking about it, about how he hadn’t even messaged Wash to see if he was okay before he left for Toronto. It had happened fast, sure, but surely there had to have been some time to slip away and message him.

“I uh…”

York took a deep breath before finally turning to look at Carolina.

“My friend, the one I told you about, North... his sister messaged me when we left. I’ve been thinking about how to respond to her since.”

Carolina cocked her head and leaned slightly closer to him.

“Can I ask what happened?”

“ _ No. You’ve only known her for a few days, York. Just because you-” _

York took Delta out of his ear. 

“What is that?”

Carolina pointed her glove at York's hand.

“It’s a comm device.”

York didn’t know why he was being so honest with her, she hadn’t even told him who her dad really was.

“My friend Deltas on the other end.”

“Have you had that the whole time?”

York nodded. 

“I never take it off really. I had it in when your dad's goons broke my door down.”

Carolina didn’t look mad, that was good.

“Delta, huh?”

York nodded.

“I haven’t been honest with you about a lot of things actually,”

He sighed. It was probably a bad idea to tell her this, he didn't have any reason to trust her.

“My friend, North, I told you he died but I didn’t mention how.”

“I assumed it was hard to talk about.”

Carolina put her hand on Yorks shoulder.

“You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Yeah well. We’re going to be stuck together with nothing to do until the UNSC calls you back, might as well get to know each other.”

York took a shaky breath. He didn’t need to hear Delta to feel how much of a bad idea this was.

“North died on the last job I took, our client found something out about where we come from and how we got access to our materials and he sold us out to the guy we were supposed to be investigating for him.”

York's wrist comm beeped with pages from Delta.

“My friend Wash-... David, he went down pretty hard and they took him away to do all sorts of fucked up shit and when me and North went to go get him out we got blindsided,”

York touched his face.

“Literally.”

Carolina pressed herself against York. She wasn’t very good at this comforting thing but York appreciated it anyway.

“And South… well, she’s been messaging me for a while asking me when I’m going to come back to the group… when I’m going to talk to her… when we’re ever going to talk about what happened… That sort of stuff.”

York looked at Carolina and sighed.

“But when your dad kicked down my door and offered me a job where I’ll be out of range of my problems and living it up with a pretty girl I chickened out. I’m chickening out.”

Carolina squeezed York tightly.

“York, It’s okay if you’re not ready to talk about things yet. Hell, my dad hasn’t been ready to even think about my mothers death in twenty fucking years. The Church family has a cloud of darkness and denial hanging over our heads every second of the day.”

York snuggled into Carolina's big, strong arms.

“What happened to her?”

“No one knows. One day she just... went missing and the cops found her in a ditch a week later. My dad hasn’t even gone into her office since.”

Carolina sighed, her body was taut with emotion that her voice was still trying to conceal.

“Church looks like my dad in body and frame but he has my mothers eyes. Every time dad looks at him he can’t bring himself to look at his face. It drives Church insane.”

York looked up at her and blinked in surprise. Her eyes, despite her voices clarity and evenness, were shining with tears.

“He called for you because he sees her in me. She’s all he can see when he looks at me. I tried dying my hair but it doesn’t matter what I do. I’m always just  _ her  _ to him.”

York nuzzled his face against her cheek, putting his hand against her cheek. It was pretty forward but she didn’t seem to mind.

“Sucks for him because Carolina Church is a pretty badass lady. She’s smart, quick witted, ambitious and she  _ really  _ likes hunting down children with laser weapons.”

Carolina laughed.

Yorks whole body was screaming at him to kiss her, this was as open as she was ever going to be with him, if there was ever going to be a chance now was the time!

“Hey, Lina.”

  
  


Carolina turned her face slightly.

“Yeah York?”

York didn’t kiss her on the lips, he didn’t think he wanted to risk that just yet, but he did kiss her. It was only a quick peck on the cheek, nothing too serious and nothing she couldn’t brush off. He didn’t want to scare her.

Carolina smiled, only a little bit.

She didn’t stop him when he turned her face - only a little bit - to press his lips against hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> share your feelings with your partners kids  
> do it trust me


	18. York Doesn't Check His Phone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws apply but yall fuckers better watch me add another main character to the tags ;)

York probably would have floated all the way back to the hotel if Carolina hadn't been grounding him. He wasn't sure if she was even aware that their gloves were touching as they walked. It probably wasn't even something worth over thinking, proximity sometimes tended to breed contact. 

" _ I still can't believe you did that." _

Delta had been awfully bitchy since York put him back in his ear. It was almost like he was back to his old self.

Almost.

He still had that voice.

Carolina hadn't said anything in a while. There wasn't really anything worth saying. York had maybe kissed her and she had maybe kissed him back and they had maybe enjoyed sitting there holding gloved hands and kissing for a bit but that was over and not worth worrying about.

Maybe.

When they finally walked back into the hotel their hands separated, finally dispelling the air of affection they had deluded themselves into. It was a passing fantasy and they had to wake up Church and get his ass ready for their reservation downtown.

The elevator ride was quiet, save for the sound of still quivering breaths escaping their lips. They were standing closer than they needed to be, shoulders pressed against each other in an act of intimacy that probably would have made York explode if he wasn’t afraid Carolina would get caught up in the subsequent meltdown.

At some point or another, York became aware of a feeble old woman stepping into the elevator and chuckling to herself about how nice it was to see young couples but York didn’t care to correct her. _ Carolina didn’t seem to mind either. _

South texted him again. 

York didn’t really care, all he cared about was the way Carolina smiled faintly at him and motioned for him to follow her out when the elevator came to a halt at their floor. The world didn’t matter anymore, it was just him and Carolina.

And Souths messages, still unread on his comm.

Later, of course, York would regret not reading the messages.

“ _ South seems anxious to talk to you. She seems insistent on reminding you that you haven’t checked in on Washington in some time.” _

Delta chirped in his ear, audibly stifling a yawn. He didn’t tend to sleep very much and York was probably not helping his sleep schedule with all the ignoring and romantic gallivanting around he was doing.

York shrugged. 

“Yeah, probably is.”

“ _ Oh so you’re responding to me now?” _

Delta snapped back.

“ _ Because you think that because I haven’t found anything on these people worth distrusting it’s fine to assume innocence? We still don’t know ANYTHING about them!” _

  
  


“I know Carolinas lips taste like strawberry gum and lip gloss.”

York purred back at Delta, making sure to walk a few steps behind Carolina. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be telling Delta things Carolina might want kept quiet.

“ _ YOU KISSED HER?” _

York shrugged. 

“Only a little.” 

South texted him again.

“Church!”

Carolina rapped at Churchs door. 

“We’re going to be-”

Church swung the door open. 

“Son of a bitch took my phone!”

York slid up to them, immediately interested in the conversational change.

“Who did?”

“Tucker!”

Church huffed.

“He thinks because he can take whatever the fuck he wants!”

“Tucker took your phone.”

Carolina repeated, her voice as dry as the sahara desert.

“Yes!”

Church stepped out into the hall, slamming his room door behind him.

“And we’re going to go get it back!”

York opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by Churchs stomach gurgling loud enough he was probably going to get a noise complaint.

“After lunch!”

Church clapped his hands.

“Tucker. Took your phone.”

Carolina repeated as she followed the newly activated Church to the elevator.

“And you want us to go to his house and get it back.”

“After lunch!”

Church reaffirmed, angrily pressing the button on the elevator.

York walked to Carolinas side.

“Is he always like this?”

Carolina shrugged.

“In all honesty it's just nice to see him walking around.”

York shrugged.

“To lunch and then to Tucker's place, huh?”

“Seems like it.”

Carolina grinned at York, her eyes shining with the playful light of all the stars in the universe. Nothing could possibly go wrong as long as she kept looking at him like that. Nothing bad could ever happen to York ever again. South was nothing more than a remnant of the past, Washington was off the grid and North was probably proud of him for making a successful first move.

It was alright! York was alright. It was all _fine!_

South texted him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a nothing chapter but remember yall i update daily yall cant expect every chapter to be super action packed  
> Next Chapter Ho Ho


	19. Washington

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws but like Oh Lore?

The food wasn’t much to write home about. York had ordered some kind of lobster dish and eaten it without much thought, he probably could have eaten garbage and not noticed;  _ Carolina  _ had sat beside him, her thigh was  _ just _ close enough that if York spread out his legs he could press their bodies flat against one another.

York was still riding that high when the bill came and went, feeling his heart pound in his chest. 

_ She had kissed him. He kissed her. They had kissed! _

Church kept bitching the whole way through his food, talking about how ready he was to tear Tucker apart with his bare hands. 

He really seemed to think that he could take Tucker in a fight. 

York highly doubted that. Church was five foot four at most, visibly chubby and unaccustomed to long periods of exertion, there was really NO way that he could take on the fit and well groomed man that York had seen before. 

Sure, Tucker wasn’t tall - York was convinced that Church didn’t have many tall friends - but he was well maintained and fit, if York was a betting man he'd bet on Lavernius Tucker and his  _ incredibly _ \- and oddly -  __ toned thighs.

“York?”

York, snapping back to the present, turned his head to Carolina. She was sitting beside him, lounging in the limousine's comfortable back seats.

“You alright?”

York nodded.

“I’m alright. How are you?”

Carolina huffed and looked to where Church was leaning through the privacy screen so as to best rant to the driver.

“Well…”

York smiled, leaning his head onto her shoulder.

“You’re a good sister.”

Carolina smirked.

“Church is…”

She turned to York.

“Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has to deal with this outburst.”

York moved to put his arm over her but stopped himself. 

“ _ Oh so this is where you draw the line?” _

Delta chuckled.

“Delta wants to know if you think this’ll take long.”

York smiled at Carolina, letting his voice rumble deep in his throat.

“Oh! Hi, Delta.”

Carolina snorted.

_ “I DID NOT ASK THAT. DO NOT INVOLVE ME IN THIS.” _

Delta barked at York. York kind of liked hearing Delta's facade break away and reveal a person under all that logic nonsense.

“I don’t know, Delta, it probably won’t take too long for him to realize he probably dropped it in the bathroom again. He’s gone through at least seventeen phones this year. Keeps breaking or losing them.”

Carolina cocked her head, still looking at York.

York smiled thinly at her.

“Really? Is he THAT clumsy?”

Carolina shrugged.

“Not really but he gets...  _ droppy _ when he drinks.”

York nodded.  _ Another sentence with dark implications. _

“HEY! STOP HERE!”

Church swatted at the driver.

“There’s our cue to start emotionally preparing ourselves.”

Carolina smiled at York, her eyes betraying an emotion that York didn’t yet recognize.

South texted him.

\---

The pavement leading up to Tuckers front door step was shockingly well maintained. Someone was taking care of this place with military grade attention to detail. 

That really should have been the first red flag. York should have known that Tucker couldn’t maintain or own a place in upper Toronto on his own. Sure, Tucker was well maintained meterosexual good looks but he was at his core, a disaster.

“Nice place.”

Carolina chirped as she gingerly walked up the stairs leading to the perfectly white front door.

“Must be the military roommate Tucker won’t shut up about.”

Church growled. He slapped at the door bell a few times before realizing gloves weren’t doing him any favours and removing them to press the doorbell properly. The doorbell - clearly customized - sounded an awful lot like someone saying  _ bow chicka bow wow _ .

York finally slid his comm out of his back jean pocket. It was about time he finally looked at what South had to say.

**South:** York.

**South:** York? Listen man I kno uve been dodging my texts but i need to talk to you

**South:** delta says youre in toronto 

**South:** york theres something you should know

**South:** York this is fuckin important

**“York?”**

York looked up at Tuckers roommate, finally taking in his dyed blonde hair and tired face. 

York dropped his comm, finally realizing what would warrant South messaging him.

“ _ Wash... _ ”

York barely managed to speak, his voice hardly rising about whisper levels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: this chapter is called washington  
> everybody: okay  
> me: it has washington in it  
> everybody: :o


	20. Weird But Good Dad Hug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw   
> neck injury 
> 
> u kno that episode of b99 where their dads meet and theyre obsessed with having a weird but good dad hug? ya

Washington didn’t run to hug York.

Washington used to hug people.

“David.”

York stepped forward.

“Did you say Wash? Like the guy you told me about…?”

Carolina put her hand on York's shoulder, looking at him cautiously.

“This is Wash?”

“York.” 

Wash stepped forward, cautiously looking York up and down.

“Oh-kay.”

Church pushed past Wash and into Tuckers house.

“TUCKER! WHERE’S MY FUCKING PHONE?”

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!”

Tucker screeched back at Church from somewhere in the house.

“Do… do you want me to leave you alone?”

Carolina leaned closer to York's ear.

“Yeah… I’ll be right in.”

York nodded.

“Okay… Just…”

Carolina didn’t say anything for a few seconds, clearly not knowing what to say.

“Come find me when you’re done.”

She planted a quick kiss -  _ score!  _ \- on York's cheek and ducked into the house after Church, taking all the warm air left in York's body with her.

“Washin- David. How- how’ve you been?”

York stepped forward, reaching slightly towards Wash. He didn’t know if Wash even wanted to see him, let alone touch him.

To York's incredible relief, Washington softened upon seeing his outstretched hand.

“Better.”

York couldn’t take it anymore! This was stupid, he was being stupid! This was Wash, not some goddamn alien from fucking mars or something, they were friends! 

York grabbed Wash, yanking him tightly against his chest and squeezing their bodies flat together. It took Wash a few seconds to load what was happening but the second he did he nuzzled his face into York's shoulder and squeezed him back. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t call.”

York muttered into Washs shoulder, well aware that the hug had probably gone on a little too long to be normal.

“It’s okay, York, I could have called too.”

Wash nuzzled his face deeper into York's hood, seemingly just as ready to disappear into the unexpectedly tight embrace the two men had found themselves in as York was.

“I didn’t know what to say…”

York didn’t want to admit it but it was hard to hide the emotion rising up in his throat and leaking out of his eyes.

“After everything it was-”

“I know.”

Washington pulled away, holding York at arms length.

“I know.”

“Deltas here! You wanna talk to him?”

York pulled his ear piece out and held it out to Wash.

“D?”

Wash cocked his head before taking the ear piece and cautiously placing it in his ear.

“Delta?”

York laughed at Wash, instinctively leaning back from what York could only assume was an incredibly loud scream on the other end.

“Yes, Delta, it’s me!”

York smiled despite himself. Wash was  _ here, _ right in front of him! 

“Yeah I know, I should have called.”

Wash laughed, leaning forward slightly.

“But to be fair you didn’t either.”

Wash paused and looked to York.

“He says he wants me to put the earpiece on your wrist comm.”

York shrugged, rolling back his sleeve so Wash could do just that. To both mens surprise the wrist comm and earpiece beeped in sync and glowed slightly green before projecting what looked to be a hologram of Delta in his natural habitat. 

Delta sat on a rolling chair, holding a mug that York assumed had been glued back together at one point judging by the sealed cracks running along it and a pad of paper. His hair was disheveled and unkempt - something York had never seen before on Delta - and it wasn’t hard to guess that he hadn’t thought to change out of his pjs.

“Delta?”

Wash looked at the disheveled mess of a man sitting holographically before them. His whole holo image was only about six inches tall but it was more than enough to show an extreme level of personal neglect and far too much unshaven face.

“ _ Excuse my appearance.” _

Delta clearly already knew he was a mess.

“You don’t look so good.”

Wash crouched down, looking at Delta curiously.

“ _ I haven’t… been myself lately.” _

“He hasn’t been since… you know.”

York leaned over slightly as he talked, examining Wash from above. He couldn’t help himself, he had to check his neck out. The last time York had gotten a good look at the back of Washs neck it was slashed open and gushing blood.

_ It looks fine now _ , York thought to himself.

“Yeah well.”

Wash looked up at York with a thin smirk.

“Who has?”

York flopped down beside Wash, draping his arm around his friends back.

“I love you.”

Wash smiled thinly, nuzzling his face into Yorks hoodie.

“I love you too.”

“ _ Nobody asked but I love you both as well.” _

Delta waved his hand slightly.

“Going to invite us in, Wash?”

York purred lightly.

“Sure. Come on in, I’ve got a few people I’d like you to meet if you’ve got time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> delta voice  
> anyhow im here too


	21. Background Homosexuality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws

Wash and Tuckers' shared house was as fire and ice as their personalities. 

There was a clear line between what Wash had cleaned and maintained and what Tucker had thrown his things at randomly. Dirty magazines would be stacked haphazardly near perfectly organized book stacks - Wash had to be the only bitch alive that York knew to still read paper books - and converse shoes would be left in the centre of previously vacuumed and deep cleaned carpets.

It was actually kind of amusing.

Delta, having decided it was a bit late to back on his previously well maintained cover, had insisted that York carry him along and show him where Wash was living. 

“ _ How do you live with this?” _

Delta looked to Wash, gesturing with his chipped mug to where Tucker was squishing Church like an overstuffed teddy bear and shaking him around teasingly.

“He’s... not so bad.”

York snorted at Washs hesitation.

“Took a while to answer there, David.”

“PUT ME DOWN!”

Church kicked his legs, desperately flailing his hoodie sleeves like a kid throwing a tantrum in a crowded drug store.

“LAVERNIUS!”

“Wow! Have you gotten fatter since I last saw you?”

Tucker squished Church even tighter.

“F UCk aWf!”

Church swatted his arms at Carolina, desperately trying to get her to pay attention to him.

“LINA! HELP ME!”

Carolina laughed and shook her head.

“Nah.”

“Hey, York, is she… like your girlfriend or something?”

Wash leaned closer as he spoke, raising his eyebrow curiously.

“Uhm-”

York felt himself go red.

“ _ No, York just gets a boner every time I leave him alone with her.” _

York slapped at his wrist comm. If he wasn't swatting at air he was trying to shush a hologram with no accessible mouth.

Wash snorted.

“Hey, listen, I’m gonna go see if I can get a hold of someone I want you to meet. Do you think you can handle it over here?”

“ _ I’ll try to contain him.” _

Delta purred, leaning back in his chair.

York flicked at Delta before walking over to where Carolina was watching her brother get his ass thrown in a circle for him.

“Hey Lina.”

York leaned over her shoulder, smiling thinly at her as he held Delta out in front of her.

“Ever see a man the size of a vibrator?”

“ _ Hello, Carolina. I am not actually the size of a vibrator.” _

Carolina snorted.

“It’s good to officially meet you, Delta. How are you?”

“ _ Well, minus my reconsidering of my attire, I am doing pretty well at the moment.” _

Carolina smiled at him.

“I guess we’ve actually known each other over a week now.”

“ _ A week of rushed courtship.” _

Carolina sputtered for a second before collecting herself and waving her hand dismissively at him.

“I wouldn’t call it  _ courtship _ , me and York are just getting to know each other. Right York?”

She turned to York.

York nodded quickly.

“Yeah, just some friendly bonding.”

“ _ He’s very attracted to you, Carolina.” _

Carolina smirked.

“I know.”

York glowered at Delta.

_ Dude, really? _

“Hey, York! I’ve finally got the line working!”

York turned to look at Wash but instead found himself looking at a holo projection of a very well dressed young man with bleach blonde hair, bright pink highlights and pierced ears.

“Hey!”

The man chirped, excitedly wiggling his fingers at York, Delta and Carolina.

York clapped his hands. He had heard that voice before!

“You were at the mansion the day I arrived! You were calling Church from the kitchen!”

The man nodded.

“Franklin Delano Donut, at your service!”

Wash rubbed the back of his neck as he set the holo caster down on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

“He’s uh… kind of my boyfriend?”

_ “Your FUCKING what?” _

Delta, in an unexpected moment of emotional outburst, dropped his mug. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i mentioned i love washnut


	22. Swimsuits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws

So.

Washington had a boyfriend. 

Even two weeks after their visit York was still processing that. 

But, in all honesty, York didn’t really think about it that often. 

He had a few other things he would rather focus on.

Carolina inviting him to watch a movie with her in her room and falling asleep on his shoulder was only one of the many incredible things that had happened to him: Carolina had held his hand as they went on their daily walk around the neighborhood yesterday, Carolina had told him that she thought his scar suited his face... Church had even at one point told him that he wasn’t  _ totally  _ annoying!

It was only natural that reality came crashing back in.

York was holding Carolinas sleeping form, watching the way her chest rose and fell, and lounging back on his bed when her comm buzzed. In a matter of seconds she had flown across the room and grabbed her comm.

York didn’t dare interrupt her very important sounding phone call but he had the same sinking feeling he had felt when he stepped out the limo in front of the UNSC building. It was  _ them _ , he knew it.

“That sounds great, yes. Okay… Okay I’ll see you then.”

Carolina ended the call, taking in a deep breath before excitedly clapping.

“Finally!”

“They finally set a make up date?”

York cocked his head.

“Better! They made arrangements for a dinner meeting!”

Carolina walked back over to the bed and flopped down beside him.

“So I don’t have to go back to the UNSC building then?”

York didn’t even try to hide the hope rising up in his voice. He hadn’t told her exactly where he had developed his distaste for the UNSC but she hadn’t asked about it once since the night they spent stargazing.

“Nope! Instead you just have to keep me safe from the dangers of a steakhouse!”

York smiled warmly at her.

“I think I can manage that.”

“I think you can too.”

Carolina laughed.

“This is still stupid you know?”

“Me protecting you? Yup.”

York turned over to look at her.

"You're doing that thing again."

Carolina slid down so she could lay down across from him.

"You're looking at me weird again."

York shrugged, reaching across so he could put his hand on her side.

"I'll try to get that under control."

Carolina smirked before fluffing her pillow and smiling at him.

"Deltas still talking your ear off isn't he?"

_ "It's not just talking it's legitimate criticism!" _

Delta chirped in York's ear.

"He's still trying to find your dad on a registry or something."

" _ Not or something! Everyones on  _ **_something_ ** _ in this day and age!" _

"Like I told you, Delta, you won't find him on any registry."

Carolina nuzzled into her collected pillows.

"Leonard Church is a ghost."

" _ Bull. Shit." _

York smiled back at Carolina.

"He says he believes you 100% and trusts your judgement.”

“ _ I DID _ **_FUCKIN_ ** _ NOT.” _

York laughed and took Delta's ear piece from his ear, placing it down on his wrist so Delta could properly bitch at him.

Delta appeared on the bed between the two of them - York made a mental note to close that gap when Delta got done bitching - and angrily scoffed at York. He had cleaned himself up in the past two weeks, shaving down the mess of a beard that had begun to form and finally opting to wear a white button up shirt and black dress pants instead of his usual pjs. He  _ almost  _ looked healthy. Seeing Wash happy with Franklin had really done him some good.

“ _ I did NOT in fact say that I trusted your judgement Carolina!” _

Delta puffed out his chest, angrily straightening his tie.

“ _ I reiterated that I think York's sexual attraction to you has clouded his judgement!” _

Carolina snorted.

“It hasn’t clouded mine and  _ I _ happen to know that the most you’ll find on my father is that he may or may not own Freelancer Industries.”

“ _ Nobody can provide weapons for the UNSC and NOT be on a registry!” _

“You always say that like you know.”

Carolina leaned back in bed, raising her brow curiously at Delta.

“ _ Well- It’s- it’s just common sense!” _

Delta angrily yanked at his tie. 

“He gets defensive.”

York purred at Carolina. 

“ _ I DO NOT.” _

York plucked the ear piece from his wrist and placed it beside Carolina, reaching over her to get to the nightstand beside her.

“So, Lina,”

York put his arm down beside Carolina, well aware that he was now officially over top of her in such a position that he could probably put his leg in between hers and pull her into a very suggestive position.

“How do you feel about swimming pools?”

Carolina scoffed, lightly shoving his chest.

“Swimming pools?”

“I want to go swimming and I can’t picture convincing Church to come with me.”

“True, the last time he went to a pool the lifeguard had to coax him out of the floatie he had fallen asleep on with the promise of ten dollars.”

Carolina laughed at York, leaning up so she could press her hand against his chest.

“But  _ you _ don’t seem the type to be able to keep up with me.”

“Oh so you’re the type of person who swims laps huh?”

York really should have seen that coming.

“Mmhmm. I make the most out of every trip to the pool and I have no intention of just lounging around on the side waiting for you.”

York grinned.

“Cute but I’ll have you know, I was top of my class in my third grade swim course so I’m basically an olympic athlete.”

Carolina snorted before sliding out from under him and striding over to the door.

“Tell you what,”

She turned back to look at him.

“If you can find a swimming pool within walking distance by the time I dig out my bathing suit, I’ll let you race me.”

York nodded enthusiastically.

“Can do!”

York probably shouldn’t have left Deltas comm link online as he scrolled through the city map he had pulled up, it’s never ideal to hear someone talk about how hot they found bathing suits while you try to glue your mug back together for the eighth time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> york whips out that swimsuit catalogue


	23. 20 questions Chipwrecked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no cws apply

York was not, in fact, basically an olympic athlete.

To nobody's surprise, York was tired out after a few laps around the pool - something he hoped wouldn’t reflect poorly on his potential chances with Carolina - and was soon just floating after her on a stolen pomegranate shaped floatation pad.

Carolina, deciding to finally acknowledge Yorks whistles and calls to attention, stopped midway through her seventh lap of the deep end and turned to him. She didn’t join him on the floater as York might have hoped but she did elect to tread water closer to his position. A win's a win, take what you can get.

“Did you steal that from a child?”

York shrugged.

“Delta suggested it.”

_ “I did fuckin not.” _

Sometimes York wished that his ear piece wasn’t so well water proofed.

“Hmm. Really?”

Carolina flipped some of her hair away from her face before swimming closer to the floater and holding onto the side.

“Yup. He said you could probably kick my ass up and down the block for days and not even break a sweat so I should give up while I could still formulate words.”

York leaned in closer to Carolina, smiling at her amused expression.

“ _ That does seem more like me.” _

Delta purred.

“Fair,”

She put her hands on the floater.

“Move over, I could use a break anyway.”

York shuffled over and silently thanked every god and superhero he knew that the floater was apparently meant for multiple people as she hefted herself up beside him. 

Carolina, never one for showing off, probably wasn’t aware how sexy she was in her bathing suit. The bathing suit itself wasn’t anything to comment on - it was just a simple black one piece - but Carolina was stunning enough without any sort of add on. She was as well toned as York had suspected from what little she showed of her body before but also unexpectedly curvy and busty. 

Not that York was looking at her boobs.

He would never look at her boobs.

“ _ You’re staring.” _

Delta quipped.

“Why don’t we get out of the deep end?”

Carolina turned to York with a thin smile.

“We could stash the floater and grab some chairs at the side if you want.”

York nodded before laying once more on the floater.

“Lead away.”

He purred, making no indication he intended to help her move the floater.

Carolina snorted before once more sliding off into the water.

“I just got on and you’re telling me to push you to shore?”

“Mmhmm.”

York winked at her.

It took Carolina about two seconds of effort to flip the floater over, sending York into the water beside her.

\---

After they had stashed the stolen floater under a slide that kids seemed to be avoiding for one reason or another, York and Carolina dragged some chairs away from the lounging parental viewers to a secluded area of the pool side where no one would bother them.

“I am going to make you swim with me when we go back in.”

Carolina turned to York finally. She was  _ really  _ pretty from this angle.

“Sure.”

York smiled back at her.

“Just be warned that now that I’ve had some time to recharge I can and will wipe the floor with you.”

Carolina snorted before laying back in her chair.

A comfortable silence fell over the pair, wrapping around them like a blanket of familiarity.

York was the one to break the silence.

“Did we ever finish our game?”

“Our game?”

“Yeah! Twenty questions.”

Carolina shrugged.

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m pretty sure we still have some questions left.”

“Four. If I remember correctly.”

Carolina turned her body to fully face him.

“Want to play a few rounds?”

“Absolutely I do.”

_ “ASK ABOUT HER FUCKIN DAD!” _

York waved Delta off. 

“You can go first if you want.”

Carolina chewed her lip, seemingly hesitating. It was like she knew what she wanted to say but not how to phrase it.

“Okay…”

She took a deep breath.

“Why don’t you want to go with me to UNSC meetings?”

York shuddered, suddenly feeling cold.

“Oh, right into it huh?”

“You don’t have to answer.”

Carolina looked… sheepish, like she was just as afraid to ask as he was to answer.

“I uh… used to… be a part of UNSC.”

York said finally, trying to keep his answer as true and as vague as possible.

“It was… a long time ago but we didn’t exactly part on friendly terms.”

“You deserted?”

Carolina squeaked, shooting up violently from her seat.

“Not so loud!”

York shushed her, putting his hand on her mouth.

Carolina nodded before slowly removing York's hand from her face.

“That must be why my dad sought you out.”

York nodded.

“I guess so.”

“Okay… Your turn.”

Carolina, having already bounced back from that bombshell, once more lounged back in her seat.

“Well, damn, if we’re asking hard questions. How did your father get so well hidden? If Delta can’t find him online it’s safe to say no one can.”

Carolina shrugged.

“He said it was a favour from someone but… if you want answers to that one you’d probably have to ask Church.”

“Church?”

York cocked his head.

“Wait- don’t count that as a question I was just asking for clarification.”

“I won't count it, don’t worry. Truth is… Church and my father used to be much closer than they are now, Church was my fathers confidant for a long time. It was only about eight years ago that something changed between them. That's when Church started drinking too.”

York sighed, putting his hand on Carolinas.

“We don’t have to talk about that right now. Okay?”

Carolina smiled thinly at him before giving him a playful shove.

“My turn!”

She tapped her chin.

“How long have you and Delta known each other?”

“ _ Too long.” _

“Twenty five years. Our parents were friends so when Delta was born I became kind of like a big brother to him.”

Carolina snorted.

“Don’t you already have a bunch of siblings? Not a question, a clarification.”

“Yup! Lil D was just another addition.”

“Hmm. Your turn.”

Carolina pulled her hand out from under Yorks and placed it over top of his wrist. 

_ Be still my beating heart,  _ York thought,  _ please God, don’t let me get a boner in this public pool. _

“Oh-Okay. Uhm…”

York swallowed and shook his head free of the thoughts bombarding it.

“You uh…”

The question he wanted to ask was right there, sitting on the tip of his tongue, but he had to force it past his lips and into the open air to inevitably crush his spirit.

“Are you single?”

Carolina scoffed playfully at York.

“Well I feel like if I wasn’t it’d have come up by now. Are you just trying to ask me out officially?”

York felt his whole face grow warm. 

“Uh- No?”

Carolina snorted before standing up and straightening out her back.

“Come on, some kids have been poking at our floatie for the past five minutes and it’s only a matter of time before they get it loose.”

York swallowed and stood up, trailing behind her like a lost dog for a few steps before yipping in surprise at her turning around on her heel to face him. 

Her face was only a few inches away from his, if York tried he could lean in and kiss her again.  _ Too close! _

“I am. Actually.”

Carolina purred at him before turning back on her way to the floater and shooing the small gathering of children forming around their floater.

“ _ Please don’t get a boner at this public pool.” _

Delta quipped, seemingly realizing exactly where Yorks gaze was going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh church lore?


	24. Just You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw:  
> past torture  
> past non sexual non con implied  
> past parental abuse
> 
> basically fuck the director

Carolina fell asleep almost the second they got back to the hotel. She had originally said that she could handle staying awake for another movie night but when it came down to it, she was still a human person with human needs and right now she needed a long nap.

York would have preferred it if she didn't fall asleep in the dead centre of his bed.

It wasn't like he had the key to her room to even out the score and he wasn't hopeful for his chances at getting a good night's sleep on the unforgiving hardwood floor. 

"Well. Shit."

York huffed and crossed his arms.

" _ I told you she was just showing off." _

Delta yawned.

"And it was hot."

York nods slightly before making up his mind. If he can't sleep right now the least he can do is check in on his forgotten second charge.

\---

Church paces rather fucking loudly for someone who complains about even the slightest noise from Yorks room.

He sounds like he's losing an argument.

"No one asked  _ you _ !"

Church quips at whoever is on the other end of his presumed call.

"Oh har har haredy fuckin har, blame  _ me _ ."

York raps his fingers against Churchs door.

"Church?"

"Shit-"

Church takes a few seconds to answer the door.

"York?"

York waves his fingers awkwardly at him.

"Carolina fell asleep on my bed and I don't want to disturb her."

"So…?"

"I was wondering if you had a key to her room so maybe I could catch some Zs on her bed. You know, seems fair."

Church scrunched up his nose before nodding and opening the door wide enough for York to slip in.

"Let me see, I'm sure I have one lying around."

Churchs room is as messy as York had come to expect. Underwear and food wrappers littered the floor like someone had given up on cleaning after their third deep clean of a far too messy bedroom and the hotel mini bar was more or less a glorified bottle recycling corner.

"Cozy."

York couldn't help himself.

"Yeah."

Church sat down on the unmade bed and yanked open the nightstand drawer. He shuffled through the contents for a few moments, pulling out medication bottle after medication bottle, before finally revealing a keycard labelled 'Sis' via a sloppily pasted on sticky note.

"Here."

York took the card from Church but paused before going to leave.

"Who were you talking to?"

Church didn't answer for a while, instead opting to rub absently at his neck.

"Myself."

"Sounded like you were losing an argument."

"Kinda was."

Church took his hand off of his neck.

"It's complicated."

  
  


" _ Remember what Carolina said. _ "

Delta reminded him.

York sighed before sitting beside Church. 

"Hey Church can I ask you something?"

"Just did."

"Yeah.”

York took another deep breath, trying to breathe in some courage through his nose and push out all his worries and conversational issues through his mouth.

“Do you know why your dad won’t show up on any registries?”

Church pursued his lips, pressing his palms flat against one another.

“Yes.”

He finally said after taking far too long to think about it.

“Why?”

“... I deleted him.”

Church said it with such confidence that York was almost inclined to believe it… Almost.

“No offense Church but you’d have to be a helluva hacker to do that.”

York snorted. There was no way that Church was good enough to outhack Delta.

“I’ll try not to let that go to my head.”

Church took a deep, exasperated, breath before pulling off his signature hooded sweatshirt and dropping it to the ground unceremoniously. York watched as Church gingerly pulled his shirt collar down and leaned his head forward so York could look at Churchs neck.

That wasn’t right.

Churchs neck looked like someone had surgically stuffed some kind of computer chip in and sewed over it, neglecting to care too much for the appearances or the unusual blue streaks of electronic stain that seemed to emanate away from where it had been implanted. York wasn’t an expert on AI tech but he had been in the UNSC long enough to know the basic.s

Someone had put an AI chip into Churchs neck.

The surgery wasn’t clean like the UNSC did, this was some kind of home job. Whoever had done this wasn’t certified to do it and it showed through.

“It's called Epsilon.”

Church said quietly.

“And sometimes I’m not sure where it ends and where I start.”

York put his hand on Churchs back.

“ _ We’ve seen this before.” _

Delta was - in his own way - livid. They  **had** seen this before. On  _ Washington.  _

“Who put this in your neck?”

York didn’t try to hide the ice in his voice, hatred that York hadn’t felt since finding Washington in that goddamn experimental bunker was crawling up his throat and banging on the insides of his mouth, begging to be let free.

Church didn’t respond.

“Come on, Church. It’s just you and me. You can tell me.”

York squeezed Church tightly against his side, hopefully mimicking the way that North used to squeeze people.

_ North. _

_ Norths body lying in the snow outside of an unnamed bunker. _

“One of my dad's business partners… I never found out their name.”

Church pulled his hand away from his neck, seemingly relaxing into Yorks form.

The more relaxed Church got, however, the more angry York became. 

York probably could have put his fist through someone's rib cage and ripped out their still beating heart. He should have known there was something off about this whole damn thing the second armoured lackeys burst through his front door without so much of a knock on the fucking door. York would  _ know _ that stitch pattern anywhere, that was the stitch pattern those fucking experimenting jackasses were practicing on Washington's neck when Texas found him. He should have  _ known _ something was off when the Director singled him out personally, how else could any of this happen?

York was going to kill the Director.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up next  
> the text everyone dreads!  
> we need to talk!


	25. We need to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> past torture   
> past familal abuse  
> past non sexual non con  
> past character death
> 
> One more chapter till the end of book one babes! drink up book twos gonna hurt

York woke Carolina with a light shove, as much as he valued his angels' sleep he got the feeling she’d want to be awake for this.

“Lina?”

Carolina blinked awake, looking up at York in confusion.

“York…?”

She looked past him to Church at the open door.

“Church? What are you-...?”

“We need to talk.”

York stood up and motioned for her to do the same.

“And we should probably not do it here."

\---

Washington opened the door dressed in only a bathrobe.

"Hey asshole"

South chirped from where Delta had patched her into Yorks wrist comm.

"Miss me?"

"South?”

Wash sputtered for a few seconds before dropping down so he could be level with the projection.

“What are- what are you- all of you doing here?”

“Well right now I’m trying to repress that flash of your junk.”

South quipped.

“Can we come inside?”

Carolina, despite knowing almost as much as Wash about this whole situation, had easily adapted to what seemed to be a very serious conversation in the making.

“Oh- Okay-”

Wash stepped aside and motioned for them to come inside. 

“But I have-”

“Who’s at the door?”

Donut - because of course Donut would be here at this exact moment, York had only known the guy for two weeks and he was already striking him as someone who was rather conveniently inconvenient - called to Wash from somewhere in the house.

“Uh! York, Church, Carolina and... South for… some reason.”

“Oh! That’s quite the foursome!”

Donut audibly clicked his tongue.

“Mm! Yup heard it that time!”

York pushed his way into the house, kicking off his shoes as best he could without bucking South. If there was any place that Carolinas backup guards wouldn’t think to look he had to hope it would be here. 

Hope was pretty much all that was keeping him from blind rage at this point.

“Where’s Tucker?”

Church asked dryly, not bothering with his shoes or pleasantries in the slightest. He was too distracted.

“He’s… upstairs sleeping.”

Wash seemed to hesitate when he answered but York decided to blow that off as related to why Donut hadn’t come to the door and Wash was only wearing a bathrobe. 

“ _ If I may interject,” _

Delta appeared opposite South. York's wrist projector was really starting to look crowded.

“ _ We’re wasting time as is.” _

“It’s not like we’re fucking going anywhere, Delta.”

South waved her hands dismissively. 

“ _ Well I don’t appreciate sharing my band width.” _

Wash nodded and motioned for them to come to the kitchen.

“Must be serious if you’re calling South.”

“Well it’s not sunshine and fucking rainbows.”

South really didn’t miss a beat. York would never say it to her face and only quietly when her back was turned but she got that from her brother.

Carolina looked to York.

“Are you going to let me in on why we had to take a cab here?”

York nodded.

“In a second, lets just get situated.”

Wash had them sit down at the kitchen table, presenting each of the physically present members of the assembled roundtable with coffee prepped to their perimeters. Donut, from somewhere downstairs, insisted he wanted to be involved for emotional support but that he had a few things to clean up so it was best to start without him. York, agreeing that Donut might not be the easiest to catch up on things, started the conversation as best he knew how: by deferring to somebody else.

Delta, being that somebody else, started by clearing his throat.

_ “Carolina. Everybody in this room, save for you and Church was once UNSC.” _

Carolina nodded.

“Yeah, I figured as much after York mentioned his service record.”

“ _ Alongside that, everyone here is now a part of a freelance project started by someone known as Agent Texas - someone who I assume will be patched in at some point or another. We recently worked together on a… rather harsh assignment under the guidance of ONYX Corporation. We were set to set wirings and bugs to prove that one of their competitors - a company known as CHARON industries that specialized in combat enhancing stimulants and Artificial Intelligence technology - was using unethical and corrupt means of testing their experiments.” _

Wash rubbed at his neck.

“They were.”

“ _ Yes, as we found out personally after ONYX seemingly sold us out to previously hated competition.” _

South crossed her arms over her chest.

“Somehow they got wind we used to be UNSC and nobody hates ex UNSC more than people who work with guns for hire.”

“Right, I’m following so far.”

Carolina nodded.

“What does this have to do with us?”

Church put down his coffee, leaving behind a moustache of coffee creamer on his face. Despite the rather goofy impression said moustache left on him, York had a feeling he already knew where the conversation was heading.

“ _ Well. That’s where a rather uncomfortable family conversation comes into play.” _

Carolina blinked in confusion.

“Huh?”

York waved his hand.

“D, let me handle this one.”

“ _ As you wish.” _

“Wash, show Carolina your neck.”

Wash hesitated before nodding and walking over, bending down so Carolina could get a good look at his neck.

“What happened?”

Carolina raised her eyebrow as she examined the scarring around his neck.

“ _ As I stated before… CHARON industries worked in AI technology.” _

“They tried to put an AI in Washs head.”

South interjected harshly.

“And Delta tells me that your dear old dad might have had them do the same to your brother.”

Carolina paused before pulling away from Wash.

“They _ what? _ ”

She turned to church.

“Church?”

Church took a shaky breath before glowering at york.

“Couldn’t leave it be huh?”

York shrugged.

“Sorry.”

Church pulled his hood back and let Carolina look at his own neck.

“ _ Notice the distinct stitching pattern similarities between Washingtons wound and Churchs. The only real difference is-” _

__ “There’s actually something in there.”

Church grumbled softly.

Carolina stepped away from the table, visibly holding her breath.

“Dad did this?  _ He put an AI in your head? _ Is this why you can’t run or… and why you’ve been drinking?”

Church nodded.

“My- his name’s Epsilon.”

Carolina waved her hands slightly.

“Epsilon? Like that project dad was obsessed with a few years back?”

Church nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Epsilon.”

At that exact moment, Donut decided to make his entrance.

“Hello!”

Carolina held up her hands.

“I need some air!”

She pushed past Donut and out the back door.

“Carolina-”

Church went to stand up but York stopped him.

“Let me handle this.”

York put his hands on Churchs shoulders as he walked by.

“I get the feeling she might feel worse about punching you than me right now. Besides, you might want to meet Tex. She knows more about this than the rest of us do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready guys gals and pals heres when the fun stuff starts


	26. I Love You but not in so many words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stay tuned for book two starting tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw  
> past abuse, torture and non sexual non con
> 
> remember kids: heres book 2 https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323738/chapters/55869055

York found Carolina outside easily. She was hard to miss.

Carolina didn’t seem the type to flip her shit when you first met her but once you got to know her it became increasingly more obvious how deep short tempers ran in the Church family. 

“He’s not answering my calls.”

She didn’t say who she was trying to reach but York didn’t really need to be told. She was calling her father, trying to get some answers.

“Everything I send him is just marked as seen! I don’t know how but it’s like he  _ knows _ somethings up!”

“The dreaded seen notification.”

York walked tentatively closer to her.

“Carolina.”

“An  **_AI!_ ** ”

She snapped suddenly, scaring York back.

“My brother starts acting weird and just when I’m starting to get used to it and think he’s getting easier to manage you come in and you- you tell me there’s some kind of AI in his head? That my father -  _ who’s shady enough as is _ \- put it there?”

York nodded slowly, holding his hand out to her.

“Carolina.”

“No! Don’t  _ Carolina _ me!”

She huffed and tightly crossed her arms over her chest.

“How am I supposed to go home if this is true?”

York shrugged.

“Maybe you don’t have to.”

Carolina looked at him cautiously.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean.  _ Listen... _ The freelancers aren’t perfect and we have a bit of an unfortunate name but we have resources and clintel. You could come with us and we could find some kind of place to stay and get this figured out.”

Carolina huffed once more before softening slightly and turning to look at him.

“You want me to join you and work as some kind of mercenary?”

York nodded before sliding in closer beside her.

“We can figure out what exactly happened between Church and your dad and… maybe we can find out more about what happened to  _ us.” _

__ Carolina took a deep breath before flopping down on the still snow covered bench leaning comfortably against the outside wall.

“... All of this… It feels like…”

York sat down beside her, opting not to brush off the snow either. If she was going to have a cold ass he was going to have one with her. Solidarity.

“Like everything sucks and the worlds collapsing in on you?”

He nodded.

“Yeah.”

A long and heavy silence flooded over them, leaving them in complete and utter desolation for a few heavy moments.

“Hey, we never finished our game.”

Carolina looked at him like he had just told her he was a pink fluffy three headed dog with unicorn horns on each head and a set of parrot wings.

“What?”

“We didn’t finish our game. Still got 2 questions left.”

Carolina huffed.

“That’s what you’re thinking about? A game?”

York nodded.

“If you think too hard about serious stuff your brain is going to melt.”

Carolina snorted before relaxing slightly and shaking her head. 

“This is ridiculous.”

York nodded.

“It is yeah. I am essentially asking you to run away with me and my gang of mostly dudes and commit crimes because your dad kind of possibly sucks and now I’m asking you to play a game with me that has no real merritt on the real world or actual worth in the long term.”

Carolina sighed. 

“Alright. York. Last two questions.”

She turned to him, deathly serious.

“Why should I believe any of this?”

York shrugged.

“You don’t have any reason to. For all you know this is an elaborate ploy to get in your pants.”

“Right.”

Carolina turned away from him.

“My turn.”

He stretched his arm over her shoulders in a cheesy movie goer motion.

“Do you trust me anyway?”

Carolina took a long time to answer that one. It was probably the most loaded question he had ever asked her and he had asked her what her favourite colour was.

“Yes.”

She said finally, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

“I do.”

“Your turn then.”

Carolina took a deep breath before turning back to him with a vulnerable expression he had never seen her wear before.

“What do we do now?”

York shrugged.

“Go inside, tell Wash he might need to make a decision about where he chooses to live, introduce you to Tex and… figure it out from there.”

Carolina nodded.

“Okay.”

She went to stand up but York grabbed her arm, pulling her back down beside him.

“I’ve still got a question I want to ask.”

Carolina cocked her head before nodding slightly and motioning for him to go on.

There were a thousand questions York wanted to ask her.  _ How didn’t you have more questions? Do you really believe this? How are you feeling? _

But, deciding on the riskiest and most rewarding route as he always did, York asked the question he had been pushing off asking for some time.

“If I had been - back in the pool - asking you out. Would you have said yes?”

Carolina took a deep breath before bursting out laughing, leaning over as she gasped for air.

“What?!? It’s a serious question!”

“You’re asking me NOW? After thoroughly changing my life?”

Carolina wiped at her face.

“You swoop in and you-”

She trailed off and shook her head slightly.

York was about to make a joke like  _ yeah it is kind of stupid _ before she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips. She didn’t stay long but despite all the other times they had playfully kissed having probably lasted longer this one fried Yorks brain entirely. 

It felt different. He felt different.

_ She felt different. _

“Come on.”

Carolina took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“I wanna meet this  _ Tex. _ ”

York nodded and let her drag him along into the cozy house.

“ **Hey, Carolina.** ”

Texs connection was scrambled - Delta was probably having a fair amount of difficulty maintaining three different holo lines in three different time zones.

Carolina pulled up her previously abandoned chair and sat down, looking down at Tex intently.

“Tell me about how all of this freelancer stuff works and how I can use it to get at my father.”

York couldn’t see Texs face under her helmet - he could barely even make out her helmet - but he could tell she was grinning in that devilish way of hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and thats the end! stay tuned for book two!  
> book two: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323738/chapters/55869055


End file.
